The Beast of Yesterday
by Tremainj
Summary: Nature always has a way of bouncing back: when men ruined the world in their own greed, those left were sure that the world would never be green again. Green it became, but mankind's rule was no more. When a lone man comes back to the surface after over two thousand years of isolation, will he be able to abide by their rules, or will he continue doing what he knows best?
1. Prologue I

**Precinct One  
Zootopia Police Department  
Downtown Zootopia  
3 PM**

Police, the fire brigade, civilians, and reporters alike swarmed the outside of the building; the famed 'Night Howler Killer' had falsified a building fire to clear out the building, and had taken hostages inside Chief Bogo's office. The entire building was smoked out by some sort of smoke grenade which, by the looks of it, seemed to be everlasting; it had already laid out a dense curtain of smoke for over twenty minutes, which no one dared tread through, lest it be toxic.

Bogo attempted to wade through the large crowd of civilians and reporters to get to the front line. As he made his way, there was a never-ending barrage of questions.  
"Chief Bogo, how did the police let the killer enter the building?"  
"Chief Bogo, what do you plan to do?"  
"Chief Bogo, what are the killer's motives?"  
"ENOUGH!" Bogo roared. "EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY!"  
Everyone fell silent.  
"I want everyone who isn't an officer or emergency crew to fall behind the ZPD barricade," he shouted, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Other officers directed the civilians away, as Bogo met up with his other officers.  
"I leave for two hours to go to city hall, and you let the precinct get stolen!" he berated. "What happened!"  
"He appears to have taken one of ours hostage when we were evacuating, and-"  
"I know that! How did he get in, how did you not notice him!"  
"I… don't know, sir."  
Bogo groaned in frustration.  
"Listen carefully: he demands that we send in a negotiator, and he demands that it be Judy Hopps," Bogo stated.  
"Why her?"  
"I don't know his motivations, but I'm not sending her in alone. Get SWAT in behind her. He's already viciously killed seven, I'm not about to lose one of my officers."

Bogo's phone rang for the second time in the past hour. He answered it immediately.  
"What?"  
"I'm growing impatient, Mr. Bogo. Where is that rabbit? She was on duty today, she can't have gotten far," a low voice growled on the other end.  
"Give yourself up, you can't possibly escape. We have the building surrounded."  
"My negotiator, Bogo, or you'll find my hostages are quite disposable." The line disconnected; the other end hung up.

Bogo groaned; today couldn't possibly get any worse.  
"HOPPS!" he shouted, wading through the crowd of officers.  
"Yes, Chief?" he heard from down below; he had inadvertently nearly stepped on her.  
"Hopps, I need you to go in. You're our negotiator."  
"But Chief, I've never negotiated before!" she responded, taken aback.  
"He demands that you go in, and he has a hostage."  
"Can I take Nick?"  
"Wilde? Why?"  
"He's a smooth talker; if anyone can negotiate between us, it's gotta be him."  
Bogo thought for a moment.  
"Fine. We'll be sending in SWAT after you two. Go in, talk to him, and keep him busy. We'll try to bag him for good. You have five minutes, get ready."

* * *

 **Long Ago**

A long time ago, at the middle of the 22nd century, there was the master; the master was a cunning man and, as such, he deserved equally cunning warriors. He had these warriors designed from the perfect genes; they were negligibly senescent, and would not noticeably age; not for thousands of years. He did not care, since they were expected to die in combat, for this era of humanity was riddled with conflict. It was one senseless war after another, and the master was always at the root of it all.

One such warrior of his was Garrett Sinclair, born in the end of the 22nd century; trained to be an assassin, he proved himself through countless trial after trial. The master invested heavily in this particular student of his, providing many illegal and unethical genetic and physical modifications: titanium bones, reinforced organs, neural implants, and ocular implants were only the beginning. The resulting man could hardly be called a man; for the most part, he was rendered emotionless and calculating; everything became a numbers game to him. However, he quickly became one of the most renowned in the world at his trade; so renowned, in fact, that the master pressured him to build a military. So, a military he built.

Conquest after conquest he led, until his final war in Japan; the master realized that his days were numbered, especially when it was realized that he was pulling all the strings. He took Garrett from the military to be his personal bodyguard. He gave him the moniker Kai, from the German word for emperor, to designate his accomplishments, and took him down to a bunker miles below the Earth.

Not long after, the world ended in nuclear fire, spawned from man's inhumanity to man. For weeks after the end, Kai and the master waited by the communications array with hope that someone else survived. No message ever came.

In the end, although Kai was practically immortal in the safety of the bunker, the master was not of superior genetics. He lived, and now it was his time to die.  
"Kai," the master rasped. "It's all my fault. I got greedy." He laughed. "All I wanted was a little bit more. It's funny, those three words. 'Little… bit… more...'."  
"What shall I do?"  
"Cremate me, hold out. Perhaps somewhere, someone else survived."  
Kai begrudgingly fulfilled the master's request; he knew that no one on the surface could have survived, and with the detonation of salted bombs, anyone lucky enough to be in a bunker for the blast, but unlucky enough to have it be less stocked than the one he was in would die of radiation exposure when they ventured to the surface for supplies. The world would be irradiated for at least a thousand years, perhaps two thousand.

Kai decided to keep himself busy in the archives; every text, movie, article, piece of literature, playwright's work, or otherwise would be in there. All the knowledge in the world at his fingertips, and he began to read. At first, when he finished the useful literature and scientific journals, he thought everything would be fine. When he moved on to fiction, he enjoyed his time rather much. However, months passed into years, which passed into decades, which passed into centuries. No amount of entertainment could last forever.

Most of the lights in the bunker were burnt out, but he could still see just fine; his eyes were modified to use nearly all wavelengths on the spectrum. A quick glance on the calendar revealed that it had been two-thousand, five hundred years to the day. Perhaps it was time to return to the surface.

First, he had to safeguard against any lingering radiation. He found his old, long overcoat, which fit him loosely. It was a relic of his past, one of the few things he still had that reminded him of the life he had before this one. Elsewhere in the quarters, he found combat boots, khakis, a zip up sweatshirt, thick leather gloves, and an old filter mask from the master's espionage division. It was sleek, unlike older filter mask models, with regenerating filters that didn't need replacement. The visor had a HUD and on-board computer that could decode signals and transmissions, track information in real time, and a host of other functions. The mask was designed to instill fear into the hearts of those that saw it: the front was engraved with designs reminiscent of a skull, with feline-like eyes that glowed red when the HUD was enabled. Kai thought that it wasn't quite tactical to give away one's position, but he figured that if stealth was a necessity, the HUD could be disabled. The inside of the mask had a radio communicator as well as a speech modulator, which layered a sound unpleasant to humans onto the voice of the wearer. The whole front and rear plates of the mask were made of titanium alloy, and could take a shot from anything under .50 caliber without so much as a scratch. He was amazed to find that after over two thousand years, it still worked like the day it was made.

He donned the mask and gloves, and then the overcoat. He tested every switch on the external instruments panel that seemed relevant to make sure that the air on the surface was still breathable. Temperature read +25 degrees C, O2 content normal, humidity 47%, air pressure high; the Geiger counter overloaded. He could disregard the pressure, since it wasn't all too much above nominal value, and the other values seemed close enough to survivable. However, the radiation ticker was worrying, but he was wearing protective gear. All he had to do now was set out. Since the elevator could not be trusted, lest he get stuck, he began his arduous journey up the stairs. It took him two hours to climb the miles of stairs, not because he was tired or because he couldn't go faster, but because he was deep in thought. The thought of what he would find on the other end of the vault's door secretly terrified him. Each step creaked from the lack of use, but each step held. Water dripped from leaky pipes that ran from the ocean floor, the tons of pressure taking their toll over the countless years. The air smelled wet, but Kai welcomed it, as it was a change from the climate controlled living environment he had been stuck in for 2500 years. A funny thought occurred to him; he was probably the oldest living being on the Earth right now. He chuckled slightly at the notion, but dispelled it, as he needed to focus. At last, he made it to the heavy steel door, the tumblers on the front locking it shut against the elements, as well as those that had less than noble intentions. Kai checked the computer console, seeing if he could push a button and have the door open, but alas, he had no such luck. The error message on the console read:

"ERROR: EXTERIOR LOAD ON VAULT DOOR EXCEEDS 2 TONS".

Kai could only guess at the meaning, but if his guess was even close to accurate, he was going to have a bad time. Over 2 tons of pressure on the outside meant that he was either buried by dirt, or underwater. Perhaps that the sensor malfunctioned? He prayed for the latter. Despite the fact that he could easily open the door with two additional tons of pressure on it, he would have to climb through dirt to get to the surface meaning he would not be able to find his way back, and water would flood the bunker, destroying the only place he knew as home. He sat and contemplated his choices for a while; he could either bust the door open and face the outside, come hell or high water, or he could return down to the bunker and wait another millenia. After 2 minutes of painful deliberation, he decided to crack open the door. He came to the conclusion that the odds of the bunker being buried were pitifully low, seeing as it was located in the face of a mountain; additionally, sea level was 400 feet below the mountain's face; only every ice cap melting could cause the water to rise that high. He grabbed the handle of the first tumbler and gave it a turn. It belied its true age, turning as if it was made no more than a week ago. It turned 4 times and stopped suddenly with a large THUD. Kai sat silent for what felt like hours, but he knew were only minutes. His heart began to race, he could feel the sweat forming on his body. He grabbed the handle, and pulled the door to the right.

Immediately, a large gust of air rushed into the room; this was a relief to Kai, as he now knew that it was only the sensor that malfunctioned. The light poured into the room and blinded him momentarily; after his pupils adjusted, Kai could only stand in awe of what was before him. Past the two mountains, he saw a field of grass, and flowers, and trees. Running beyond this was a river. Nearly past the horizon, he saw twisted spires that resembled skyscrapers.

"H…H-How…" breathed Kai, unable to comprehend the scene before him. He had learned a thousand times about the destructive power of a nuclear blast, and witnessed the broadcast of the nuclear detonation in Saigon signaling the beginning of the end. The majority of the human race, nearly all of the 14 billion souls on the planet, gone in a brilliant flash of light over a senseless squabble. Kai was programmed to understand the necessity of war; looking back, if he had just killed the master, he could have stopped it all.

"Humans survived?" mused Kai, before fixing his gaze ton the skyline in the distance. He had to get to the city. To find out how other people survived the apocalypse. He knew the world ended, he saw it happen; for it to come back like this in just over two millenia was nothing short of a miracle. The rangefinder in his mask indicated that it was approximately 25 miles away; Kai could sprint there in under 20 minutes if he really wanted to. However, he figured he would take things slow for a while. The clock on his HUD read 8:47 AM, but the sun was in the noon position. Judging on the heat, it felt like it was sometime in Summer. He would have to ask the residents of the city to be sure. Before he set out, he looked around the entrance for the instrument array; he needed to see if the Geiger counter was functioning properly. Given the state of the door sensor and the fact that there was life everywhere, he had to be sure; wearing two layers of clothing and a coat in summer all while running 25 miles was not very smart, even for someone like him. Sure enough, 15 minutes later, he spotted the broken antenna of the instrument array at the bottom of a ravine. As of now there was no way to know if it was safe to shed some layers of clothing.

Better safe than sorry, thought Kai regrettably, although secretly he was amazed that every other reading from the archaic instrument panel was accurate. He set out at a reasonable pace, enough to cross the 25 miles in an hour and a half. After all, if the residents were savages, he would have to make it back to safety before nightfall and lock the door. He stopped every 5 minutes to feel the flowers through his gloved hands, or to observe the reflection of the sun in the river. Before long, his rangefinder indicated that he had only 8 miles to go until the city outskirts. Now that Kai was up close, the sheer size of the city astounded him, the feats of architecture that had been accomplished were nothing short of a marvel. He didn't recognize any of the buildings, or even the style of architecture, so the city must have been built from the ground up.

Kai continued along his path towards the outskirts, and slowly, he began hearing the noise of a bustling city. Cars idling, driving, honking. People yelling. To most it could have been described as organized chaos, a cacophonous discord of sound enough to cause a headache. Kai was not most people; to him, it was the sound of life, of the end of two and a half thousand years of isolation. However, the closer he got to the city, the more something about it seemed off to him. There were sections of the city walled off by enormous walls, at least 500 feet tall. He rationalized it as being to ward against terror attacks, perhaps they were checkpoints.

Suddenly, only 1 mile away from the houses he began to notice forms moving against the blur of color in the distance. He considered running and greeting them, but decided against it. His appearance was disheveled, he wore an old war mask, an overcoat with the hood drawn. The only logical conclusion they could come to is that he was a criminal, there to do harm. He instead crept along the far edge of the treeline, trying to stay out of sight. As he looked more and more attentively, he realized that something was terribly wrong. The 'people' were any color except what a person should be.

They were animals. Walking, talking, driving. Wearing clothing of all kinds, be it suits or casual wear. They were doing everything from jogging to watering their lawns. It was all wrong, so very wrong.

Kai sprinted to the mountain bunker, and threw open the door, slamming it behind him. He jumped the banister and dove the 6 miles down the center shaft. He had to check something, and there was no time to waste. He recalled reading a scientific journal published in the mid 23rd century where biologists had managed to implant human genes into animals that gave them the ability to talk, read, write, and form intricate subgroups; their justification was for organ harvesting, but he questioned their ethics. The floor approached fast. Kai performed a half-sommersault, landing on his feet; the floor wailed in protest, but it held. He ran to the archives to find a newspaper article related to those animals. A search through the news section revealed the article in question.

* * *

ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP FREES TALKING ANIMALS Sat. Mar. 17, 2256

…, chairman of WHGP, revealed Sunday that a group of animal rights activists broke into their research lab and freed a group of talking mammals.

'This could have devastating effects on the ecosystem if we can't recover them; if one of our talking animals produces children in an uncontrolled environment, their offspring could have the genes to make them essentially human in an animal body,' said Dr. Quinton Dale. When asked to elaborate, he said only this: 'When you look an animal in the eyes and it looks back in that way, and you know that it has feelings, it can talk, it can read, it can believe, dream. How can you look it in the eyes in any other way than if you were looking at another man?'

* * *

"I'll be damned," uttered Kai. This explains everything. Even in total nuclear war, computer guided missiles wouldn't target dense forest. A population of humans couldn't survive on the food that could be grown in a forest, but a population of animals easily could. Radiation might kill some of them off, but the survivors would have children that would be resistant to radiation. The resulting nuclear winter could be troublesome, but some plants don't require much sun to grow, and a fur coat would drastically minimize the danger of the cold. The animals rebuilt society. He couldn't help but chuckle at the notion.

Kai decided after some deliberation that the best thing to do now was to remain quiet about being a human. The last thing he needed was to end up in a lab being experimented on and dissected in the name of their science. This meant keeping the overcoat and mask, which meant not being sociable. Seeing that there was animal and plant life that wasn't horribly deformed, Kai knew there wouldn't be much radiation up there, so he could shed some of his clothing layers.

His first order of business would be to visit a library in the night to avoid as much attention as he could. The next order of business would be to get to the top by any means necessary. This meant that Kai would need to radically alter his fighting style. He was trained to fight and disable humans, not bears and other predatory animals. The smaller animals would be easy enough to deal with, any direct hit would probably break bone or even sever limbs, but big animals have dense bone as well as sharp claws and fangs. His solution was fairly inelegant: he would arm himself to the teeth, wear armor to protect against claws, teeth, or other sharp and horrid ways to die, and he would use his speed to his advantage. A bear can run as fast as a horse if it's angry, but a bear doesn't have titanium bones and machined neurons; he would be able to outrun anything out there that wasn't either a machine, or augmented. Again he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Not only was he the oldest living thing, but the fastest too. It was like the punchline to a bad joke.

Kai went to the armory of the bunker to see what he could salvage before his quest to the library. Racks of guns, none of which were in working order, lined the walls of the expansive room. Different varieties of armor lay on shelves at the entrance for various purposes. Explosives had a dedicated rack in the middle. In the very back were a row of universal fabrication machines, able to build nearly any substance from its base elements, or any compounds that contained them. Of the six that were stocked, five were in a state of disrepair, and one needed calibration. Around 1,400 years into his stay, Kai had thought about manufacturing a fertile egg so that he could grow a human and have someone to spend eternity with; however, the machines possessed a time complexity varying with the difficulty of creating a structure. For something homogeneous, a fabricator could have it finished in under a day. For instance, repairing the weapons in the armory. On the other hand, something composed of complex molecules, amino acids, and polymers could take 10,000 years to finish, if that. If Kai had enough time to spare, and if the machine wouldn't break down, he could try it.

Kai settled on a woven riot vest with nano-ceramic strike plates, designed to resist all stab and slash attacks. It had the added bonus of being compartmentalized, and he filled its pockets and containers with various explosives and knives. He took Kevlar meshed gloves and pants, and replaced his lurid old clothing with the darker uniform. He set the fabricator to repair a silenced handgun, and after it was finished, placed it in his holster. Next, he donned his overcoat and was thankful that it fit over all of his gear. After mentally preparing himself, he was ready to set out. He climbed step after step, until he remember that he had no clue of the city layout, or any climbing equipment. In addition, he also remembered that the city was divided into sectors by enormous walls, presumably checkpoints that no reasonable officer would admit him through.

He had to focus now, he was already starting to slip. He leaped up the stairs by bounds, he had so much to do and so little time. He threw the vault door open and made haste to the city under the setting sun.


	2. Prologue II

**Several Days Later**

A knock sounded on the door.  
"It's just me, Officer Hopps," Judy stated. "I've brought a friend of mine to help me talk to you, can we come in?"  
"That depends," Kai responded. "What about the other fourteen hiding just around the corner?"  
Judy paused.  
"What?" she asked.  
"Don't play dumb, my scope has thermal resolution, I can see them through the walls. I would presume you brought with you a SWAT team, seeing that they have a hydraulic battering ram and several tranquilizer rifles. But, by all means: if it's only you two, come in."

Nick and Judy entered, and closed the door after themselves. As they looked around, they noticed it was only the three of them in the office; perhaps the hostage was hidden behind the desk, but she couldn't check yet.  
"Lock the door," Kai demanded. They turned the door lock. "Excellent, now we can get our discussion under way."  
"So, what are your demands?" Nick asked smoothly.  
"You don't have anything that I want."  
"Oh, come on. Everyone wants something, and we have everything."  
"Do you have a time machine?"  
"Well… no, but-"  
"Then you don't have everything."  
"Perhaps you want a way out? An escape vehicle?"  
"Please, if I leave through that door I'd have to go through fourteen wolves with guns, and that seems counterproductive. No, I'm content sitting here for the time being."  
He suddenly sniffed at the air, and began to laugh.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Isn't that cute? You two are mates!"  
"W—what?" Judy asked suddenly.  
"I can smell him on you, rabbit."  
"We are in the same room, you know."  
"No. Back when I went fox-hunting, I learned the smell of their pheromones. This is that smell."  
She and Nick both looked in opposite directions.

"What are you playing at?" Judy asked after an uncomfortable silence.  
"Oh, I'm stalling, plain and simple."  
"What? Why would you do that, stalling puts you at the disadvantage; even as we speak, we're getting our officers into position."  
"Well, I guarantee that they aren't getting into the correct positions."  
"Why's that?"  
The killer stared out the window.  
"For starters, your snipers are in painfully obvious spots, none of which have a good vantage point on this room." He returned his gaze to them. "Second, the SWAT team outside isn't in a proper breach orientation. They'd trip over themselves trying to get in. In addition-"  
"So, what are you even doing in here? Surely you didn't come just to stall us out?"  
"No, of course not. I came to download every file in your system." Kai waved a small computer chip tantalizingly. "But, now that that's done and done, I'd best get going. The only question is how to minimize the casualties..."  
"What, you grew a conscience?"  
He laughed.  
"I never cared much for senseless killing; I only kill in necessity. It's a waste of time to do anything else."  
"What about the hostage, then?"  
"What hostage?"  
"...What? What's behind the desk?"  
"Is there something behind the desk?"

They stared at each other for a moment, before Nick immediately grabbed at his radio.  
"Chief, he doesn't have a-"  
Kai whipped a dart gun out from under his coat and shot Nick in the ribs; immediately, the fox doubled over and dropped the radio. In response, Judy drew her tranquilizer and shot every dart in the clip in rapid succession; every dart save for one deflected off of his vest; the last one embedded in his neck, which he tore out and crushed in his palm.  
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you relay any information." He quickly leaped to the window, broke it open, and perched in the frame, ready to jump to the street below.

Judy sat by Nick's side; he was foaming at the mouth, his form was hunched over, and he was clawing at the floorboards.  
"Nick, snap out of it!"  
Kai took one look back at them; he fished a syringe out of his vest, threw it on the floor next to them, and jumped out.

* * *

 **Several Days Prior**

Kai's search for a library had taken him across the rooftops of the city's downtown area. He needed information on the city, and any information on the past would be an added benefit. However, as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, he couldn't quite seem to find anything.

On the left, something caught his eye. 'Downtown Bibliothek'.  
"Strange, why German?" he muttered. As he leaped to the next building, his lack of attention caused his foot to slip, and he began to tumble. He made a vain effort to grab the ledge, but just barely missed. He fell five stories, and somehow managed to land on his feet in a large pile of garbage cans and bags in the alley between the buildings; the resulting cacophony was the exact opposite of what he wanted. As he stood and brushed himself off, he heard windows open up above him. Eyes began staring, animals began yelling down at him. Looking up, he could barely see a ladder for the fire escape, but it was too high to reach. He desperately needed a grappling hook, or claws of some sort to climb with. He wished he was a cat, only for a moment.

Kai instead resorted to sprinting out of the alley and into the street. Thankfully, as he ran down the street towards the 'Bibliothek', he encountered no one else. When he reached the building, he peered through its glass windows: no one inside, but rows upon rows of bookshelves and books. He got lucky.

He picked the lock and entered through the door; as expected, no alarm went off. After all, why would anyone have any reason to alarm a public library? He quickly found the non-fiction section and set to work reading.

He found out many important things about the city: the dividing walls were varying climate zones; the citizens preferred to be called 'mammals', and not 'animals', the latter term being reserved as an insult for savages, or for other species that were not mammalian; projectile firearms were forbidden in the city, following the 'Animalia Massacre' fourteen years ago; two years ago, former assistant mayor Dawn Bellwether attempted a coup by poisoning predatory species with a toxin extracted from _Midnicampum Holicithias_ , the night howler. The toxin caused uncontrollable aggression, which led to numerous maulings.

However, he could not find anything about humans. Apes, gorillas, any other primate; just not people. He could have checked the fiction section, but decided against it; after all, monsters existed in human literature, but people had never encountered them.

Suddenly, a jingling rang out at the door. Kai glanced around the corner of the bookshelf and saw that a moose was unlocking the door. He saw the clock just above the doorframe; 6 AM. He quickly adjusted the clock in his mask, and began thinking about a plan to escape; he had far overstayed, how could he have lost track of time? The moose stepped in, and Kai began to make his way to the door through cover of the bookshelves.

The door was ten feet away, but there was no feasible way to get there without being spotted. The moose was standing behind a desk, only occasionally turning away for moments at a time to get things set up. Kai timed the moose's turning pattern, and right when he turned his back, the man sprinted for the door.  
"Hey! Who's there?!" the moose shouted, running to the door; however, Kai was already out and around the corner.

He had found his knowledge. Now, he had to get to the top by any means necessary. He could think of two ways to do that: the first was to ally himself with someone in a position of power. The second was fear, the easiest way to control a population. The latter was the far easier option to exploit, and didn't require any further research. How could he instill fear into the masses, however?

Several options came to mind: terrorism, mass murder, selective killing. Of all of the options, selective killing required the least death; in fact, he could cull those that he didn't want in his society. His nature dictated that he come out on top, and that disobedience was weakness. So, he could choose to kill the disobedient of society; the murderers, rapists, and criminal degenerates that ran around on the streets. All he had to do was make it seem like there was no pattern to the killings, and do it in a gruesome enough manner that mammals were afraid to go on the streets; the final part of the plan would then be to stage an intrepid heist on the police; if they couldn't take him down, who could?

Of course, then came the vigilantism problem: that plan would only give him _de facto_ power, and he wanted the lawful, _de jure_ control of the city. He would stop at nothing to be the lord of Zootopia. However, that would have to come later.  
 _Fear breeds power over the fearful, and the strong will always dominate the meek._ That was the master's motto, and it would hold up well; once he had authority, he could convince anyone to do anything, even give him power.

He set off out of the city, and back to his lair to being setting his plan into motion. The first thing he did was create clawed gauntlets out of gloves and nano-material, such that his little prat fall off of the building would never happen again. He threw a ballistic vest and some other reagents into the fabricator, and set it to trial and error; the beauty was that he didn't have to know the chemistry or physics behind the compositions. The machine could try and test every feasible combination and then use the strongest result.

The next thing he planned was how he would carry out his killings. He decided to maul the victims to death, for several reasons: the first was that he now had claws, which compounded into the second reason; mammals were deathly afraid of night howlers and their effects, seeing what happened with Bellwether's brief but chaotic reign of terror. He would tear his victims apart, and then leave a night howler by them; he thought the irony of such a pristine flower being used as an instrument of such a savage death would make for great media coverage, and thus a great tool of fear.

He set out to collect the flowers, before returning to his abode. Now that everything was prepared, he could begin his killings at dusk of the next day. He would wait and watch for crime, step in and kill the criminal, and escape unseen, leaving just the blue flower.

* * *

 **10 PM  
Tundratown**

Kai sat perched on a rooftop in Tundratown. He had been waiting for several hours, moving from location to location. Suddenly, he saw someone dash out of an alley.  
"Help!" she shouted. "He's going to kill me!"  
After her chased someone, bearing what appeared to be a knife; he was slowly but surely gaining on her. As she turned into a second alley, Kai pounced from the rooftop.

He landed just beside the assailant, who recoiled in shock and managed to slice along the length of Kai's forearm. In Kai's haste to gear up with stab-proof gear, he forgot his stab shirt; he only donned stab pants, gloves, and a vest.

Kai roared and seized the assailant, now evident to be a wolf, by the throat, and instantly broke his neck. He had hoped to be much quieter and stealthier, as well as to not be injured, but now that he made some mistakes, he would have to work quickly. He set to work with his claws, dicing up the corpse, faking a savage mauling; when he was done, it appeared scattered across the street. He then fished out a night howler from his coat pocket and gently laid it in the snow, next to the wolf, before running off.

One down, but a sloppy job. He would need to bandage up his arm and get a stab shirt before he could resume. He returned, as quickly as he could, to his bunker. First, he removed his gear and rinsed the blood from it. He discarded the old shirt, and found a new one that could withstand some abuse. He had no need for antibiotics, as his immune system was already good enough to handle anything he could throw at it, and he had no need for bandages, as the cut had already healed by the time he had reached his lair.

By the time he was ready to set out, it was already one in the morning. He made haste back into the city. He could waste no more time.


	3. Prologue III

**Three Day Later**

Five were already dead. The media was doing a great job of spreading propaganda, and keeping the population afraid. He had overheard from the fifth criminal, a mugger who had stabbed a gazelle, that his gang was waiting in a certain apartment in Tundratown. It was a pathetic last-ditch effort to save his own life, and although it failed, it gave Kai some information that could prove very useful.

Recently, the media was speculating that he wasn't actually savage; rather, he was merely killing and then mutilating mammals. Of course, this was true, but it doesn't spread fear nearly as well as well fabricated lies. He would pay a visit to the mugger's criminal den, and play a cruel game with the mammals he found there; the name of this game: savage mauling by friend.

Kai found a dart gun in the armory and repaired it on the fabricator. However, he came to a problem. If he used night howler serum, it could be cured. He needed something that would cause a mammal to go savage that couldn't be fixed by their science.

He paid a visit to the archives, specifically to the medical journals. He searched far and wide, and eventually came across a substance, listed as a gene agonist, that would bind to neurons in a human's brain, and cause them to only obey the most base instincts. He figured he could use this as a starting point; if it worked in humans, then it certainly had the potential to work in intelligent mammals.

Kai used the fabricator to make darts filled with the substance; he also created several syringes filled with antidote, in the extremely unlikely event that he needed to reverse the effects. He set out again to Tundratown; this time, to the address given to him by the mugger.

He trekked through the snow until he reached the apartment. He knocked, using the secret knock taught to him by his victim: twice, pause, once, pause, three times. The door opened. Inside, sitting on a sofa, was a polar bear next to a stoat. The door was answered by an arctic wolf.  
"Who are you? You aren't-"  
"Are you friends with the wolf, killed yesterday by the 'Night Howler Killer'?"  
"How did you-?"  
"He sends his regards."  
Kai raised the dart gun and fired at the polar bear. Instantly, the polar bear began to sway, and fell to the floor, snarling; the serum appeared to be working. The wolf at the door began to draw a knife, but Kai kicked him back into the apartment, slammed the door shut and held it.

For the next couple of minutes, awful shrieks originated from the other side of the door. When he reopened the door, it appeared as if someone had splashed the inside with red paint; the stoat was gone, presumably eaten, and the wolf, throat torn out, was being gnawed upon by the polar bear. Satisfied, Kai closed the door, wrapped the stem of a night howler around the door's handle, and left, just as sirens began sounding in the distance. It appeared to him as if the neighbors had overheard the sounds of the struggle, and called the police.

He watched from the open television displays several blocks away as the news story unfolded.  
"… The latest attack from the city's most recent serial killer happened just an hour ago; two mammals were killed, and one remains in a savage state after the ZPD were unable to revert him to normal. He is currently pending transfer to the Zootopian General Hospital, where more aggressive treatment methods will be used. Police Chief Bogo has declared that he will hold a press conference on the matter tomorrow at city hall, and advises that no one leave their homes until the matter is resolved. Here…"  
He walked away, deep in thought. If the chief of police was to be out, he could stage his heist then; it gave much less time for preparation than he would have ideally wanted, and he would have to do it in broad daylight.

Kai began to draw out a plan back in the quarters of his bunker. It would be stupid to invade a police station while everyone was still there; he would have to clear it out, first. The most effective non-lethal method would be to smoke it out and pull a fire alarm. That left the matter of getting in to the building. As far as he was aware, it had several side entrances, but would be filled with officers that would identify him as a suspicious person; rather, a 'suspicious mammal'. If he wanted to be successful, he would have to switch out his gear for something better suited to the mission, and sneak in during the night, where he would be less likely to be caught. From there, he could place the smoke bombs in strategic locations, and-  
 _Hello.  
_ Someone spoke from behind him. He instantly recoiled around and reflexively kicked at the noise, accidentally knocking over a table; there was no one there.  
 _I_ _noticed that you made a_ _n intricate plan, but you should have a secondary objective._  
"Who's there?" he shouted, glancing left to right.  
 _You should kill more of them, that was fun!_  
The last voice was different, feminine and strangely familiar.  
 _No, the police computer system will have files on everyone and everything in the city; a most valuable resource._  
Kai drew his handgun and approached the corner of the room. He peeked around and raised the gun, but no one was there.  
"Fuck, I'm going crazy," he muttered, shaking his head. "I could have sworn I heard something."

However, it wasn't a bad idea to have a secondary objective; wherever he got the notion about the police computer, it was a good one. He went to search for devices that could adequately do the job, and found a small gadget designed for cracking military encryptions; he stowed it in his vest and resumed planning.

Smoke bombs in strategic locations, then detonate them when he pulled the fire alarm. They would have no reason to suspect anything other than a fire, and would thus evacuate. He could take this opportunity to hack into their system and steal their files. A celebratory call to the chief of police, he could call in a negotiator, preferably the smallest cop on duty that day, and escape from right under their noses. The end results: he would have maps, databases, and schematics of nearly everything in the city, and the police would lose their credibility as being capable. Perhaps after that, he could begin making demands, and start moving up the actual chain of command.

* * *

 **The Following Morning**

Nick could hardly think; he was trying with all his might to concentrate on Judy's voice, but he was finding it hard to do even that. Two years ago, after the conclusion of Bellwether's coup, every officer underwent mandatory night howler training; they were darted by it, trained to apply their field antidote, and were taught how to recognize symptoms of night howler poisoning. This was nothing like that.

Where night howlers caused rage, this caused his mind to go blank. Where night howlers made his body go numb, this made him burn with hunger.

Hunger. The only sensation he could think about. Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind was lust, but hunger far dominated. He could no longer retain any sophisticated thoughts, lost the ability to control his own actions. He realized he was falling prey to his basal instincts. His vision faded as he floated off into a grassy meadow.

Judy, on the other hand, was not having nearly as enjoyable a time. She was busy fending off a savage Nick.  
"Nick, snap out of it!"  
He snarled in response, and gnashed his teeth. She tried shaking him one more time, and he swiped with his claws, marring her cheek; she stood her ground, and stuck him with her field antidote. It had failed to have any effect at all. He swiped again, and she fell backwards to avoid it; the fox rotated to stand on all fours. She stood, slowly walking away from him as he approached.

Nick leaped at her; she managed to roll to the side, but when she glanced at him, he was already mid-leap again. She dived to the floor, evading him; however, she was now prone, and he was already pouncing for a third time. He landed on top of her painfully, snapping his jaws in an attempt to bite her. She punched him in the jaw and crawled away; she felt his jaws sink into her calf, and she fell over.

The door began rattling.  
"WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?!" the SWAT captain yelled.  
"HELP!" Judy shouted, flailing against Nick.  
They used the battering ram against the door, but it only cracked. Nick took advantage of Judy's distracted state to lock his jaws around her arm; he began thrashing and shaking back and forth. She punched him again and again until he let go. The SWAT team attempted to breach the door again, this time breaking a small hole through the wood; not big enough to reach through, but progress nonetheless.

As Judy attempted to scramble away from the auburn monster that was chasing her, her paw happened upon a small white cylinder on the floor; as she stopped to pick up and inspect it, Nick jumped her again. She instinctively hit him with one end of the cylinder, and suddenly, Nick ceased his assault, slumping on top of her. The door broke open, and the SWAT team burst in.

As they evaluated the situation, cleaned up her wounds, and began wheeling in stretchers, she inspected the cylinder more thoroughly. It was a syringe of some sort, auto-injecting, and the fact that she managed to get the needle-end into Nick was nothing short of a miracle. The label read in some foreign language that she couldn't decipher.

As the duo were driven off to the hospital, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of mess they had gotten themselves into.


	4. Chapter I: Awakening

**Zootopia Central Hospital  
One Day Later**

Nick awoke in a fright. He looked around to observe his surroundings. He was in a hospital room. He took it all in: the tan facade of the walls, the tiled linoleum floors, the open window with curtain billowing in the wind. Chairs lined the wall to his left, but they were empty. He was hooked to more tubes and wires than he thought possible; he felt like a living computer with the noisy setup connected to him. He glanced to his right and saw a vase with flowers. Two parcels lay on the tray next to him. He grasped the first and inspected it.

It was an envelope, addressed to "Nick", and sealed on the back with a carrot sticker. Nick smiled; Judy had written it for him. He undid the seal and fished inside for the letter.

" _Dear Nick,_

" _I have requested some vacation time from work to spend with you while you recover._

 _I'll see you soon._

 _Judy._ "

At the end of the letter was a heart, penned in ink and colored red. He realized in that moment how much he longed to see Judy, to see that she was okay, to hug her and never let go. Nick tried to take a deep breath before wincing; his ribs stung in pain when he tried for anything more than a shallow one. He put the letter back and grabbed the second parcel.

It was considerably bulkier, and after tearing through the brown paper wrapping on the outside saw that it was a small cardboard box. After finding and opening the sealed flap, he grabbed the note on top. Having unfolded it, Nick realized that he didn't recognize the handwriting. It was a neat script, slightly tilted, and perfectly inked; it reminded him of the calligraphic scripts he saw in the museum as a child. He began to read.

" _Dear Officer Wilde_ _._ "

Who was this? He didn't recognize the handwriting, and his coworkers wrote to him fairly often. Fans, perhaps? He continued.

" _My apologies for nearly killing you by accident_ _._ "

Nearly killing you by accident? The Night Howler Killer managed to sneak a letter into his hospital room? Nick's mind flooded with questions; he returned his gaze to the letter to continue reading.

" _It was a reflex on my part, and I never meant you any real harm. You're lucky I made antidote, or else your doctors would have to lock you up for a long time until the drug expired on its own. The rabbit did a good job administering it through sheer reflex._ _I am, however, impressed with how you fought against it. Most animals would have gone savage after seconds, but I am told that you held out for nearly a minute. Does the rabbit mean that much to you that you could avoid your biochemistry?_ "

Nick paused. So it was as he suspected; he had gone savage, and by the sound of it, Judy had saved him. He turned the letter over in his paw. It sounded congratulatory, and yet, vaguely condescending. Nick pressed on.

" _Either way, you are an intriguing fellow, and I would like to play a game with you. Inside the parcel is a syringe. Choose whether you or the rabbit will play my game. Twenty-four hours to choose._  
 _-GS_ "

Nick thought hard. Who was GS? They weren't any initials he could recognize, let alone heard before; why would the killer sign with his initials, why not something more secretive? He took a look inside the cardboard box; there was a small cylinder, with a capped needle on one end. It had no label. Nick turned the letter over in his hand one final time. There was an after-note hastily scribbled at the bottom that Nick nearly missed.

" _P.S. I left you a flower; get well soon. It will make my game hard on you if you are unwell._ "

He glanced over to the flower vase. Which flower could have been left by his stranger? There were roses, tulips, and several flowers he couldn't name; all light yellow, white, or red flowers. Then, there was one flower that was starkly different from the rest. It was deep blue, six petals, with yellow stamens. A Night Howler.

The psychopath had actually been in his room, and not merely had the letter delivered.  
Yet somehow, Nick was alive.

"Choose whether you or the rabbit will play my game..." Nick read softly, repeating the phrase over and over. His heart sunk into his stomach. Would he hide the letter from Judy and take the challenge alone, or would he tell her about it while they thought about any possible alternative? He set the contents of the package back on the tray. Why did this have to happen now, of all times?

In that moment, Judy stepped into the room. She was no longer in uniform, instead wearing a violet sweater and long khaki pants.  
"Hey Carrots," Nick said weakly, a big grin emerging on his face. She turned to face him; her eyes were red. She had been crying. "Carrots, what's wrong? What's with the tears? We're all alive!"  
He then noticed that her arm was in numerous bandages and a sling.  
"What happened to your arm?!" he asked loudly, before clutching his chest in pain.  
"Nick, you shouldn't exert yourself. This is nothing," Judy said, pointing to her arm. "And these are tears of joy. After the doctors told me you wouldn't end up like the polar bear, I couldn't help but tear up."  
She and Nick shared a big dopey smile.  
"So, err… Carrots, what happened yesterday, exactly?" Nick tried to change the subject. "My memory is kinda fuzzy after waking up."  
"Oh. How much do you remember?" Judy asked, drying her eyes on her sleeves.  
"Well..." Nick began. "First, the building got smoked out, then you got sent in but dragged me along, and then I got hit by a dart and... that's it."  
"Well, you passed out and I had to call assistance on my radio," Judy said, taking a seat.  
"Judy, the truth."  
"You don't believe me?" she teased, looking away. He could tell she was lying.  
"I know I went savage. You used your vial of Night Howler anti-toxin and it didn't work. How did that happen? I need to know Carrots, please."  
"How could you..?" Judy trailed off. She saw the Night Howler in the vase. "No. _He_ was here…"  
"Judy, answer me. I need to know." The bunny sighed deeply.  
"Fine. I'll tell you everything. Only on one condition."  
"Name it," commanded Nick, eager to know the truth.  
"You don't feel guilty about what happened."  
Nick paused. Was the truth that hard? Had he hurt her?  
"Deal," he answered after a moment of deliberation.

"I pulled out the dart in your ribs. You were going mad, twitching, your mouth was foaming, you were clawing at everything. I tried to check if you were okay but you..." Judy touched her cheek. Nick only then noticed three lines where she was missing fur. His heart sank even lower.  
"Well, I thought you were about to turn feral, so I took my shot and gave it to you, but that only made you more violent. You jumped. I got out of the way twice, but the third time, you got me." At this point, Judy motioned towards her leg.  
"How bad it is?" Interrupted Nick. Judy was silent; she grabbed at her arm, nervously rubbing it, before staring at the floor. "Carrots..." he reiterated. She sighed.  
"You tore most of the muscle to shreds; they had to perform emergency surgery. It was 77 stitches." _Seventy-seven,_ Nick mouthed, the anguish growing within him.  
"It doesn't hurt so much anymore, and that's seventy-seven total, not just in my arm. I managed to get you off, and that's when you got my arm. I just barely grabbed some syringe on the ground and jabbed you with it, and you stopped. SWAT came in, and that's that," finished Judy.  
"So you'd jab me with any dirty needle you found on the ground," Nick spoke, laughing.  
"Hey, it was a reflex."

Nick thought about showing her the note. What would she say if she saw it? He decided that it was best to share it. She deserved to know.  
"I think when the Night Howler Killer visited my room, he left me something," Nick responded, grabbing the cardboard box. He took the note out and handed it to Judy. As she read it her eyes widened.  
"Nick..." she began.  
"I'll play his game Judy," Nick said, sitting up. While it pained him to do so, he had to show that he was serious.  
"Nick, no! He'll kill you! There has to be another way."  
"Like what? Your arm is torn up because of me. _I almost killed you._ I can't lose you," Nick angrily shouted.  
"We'll go to the police, they-"  
"We are the police, Judy!" Nick interrupted. "He made a fool out of us! What choice do we have?" Judy stopped and sat silent for several minutes, eyes closed. Finally, she spoke.  
"It says here that we have 24 hours to decide. We should think about it carefully."  
She walked over, put the note in the box, placed the box back on the tray, and laid on the bed with Nick. He cradled her in his arms as she pushed up against him.

Twenty-four hours didn't seem like nearly long enough.


	5. Chapter II: The Game Begins

**Zootopia Police Department  
** **Precinct One**

Chief Bogo was agitated. He had just received a call from his detectives about another 'Night Howler' murder; including this one, that made eight dead. All brutally killed, torn apart limb from limb; on or near each body, a Night Howler. He sighed; the last thing he needed was a serial killer on the loose. The media would hound him if they found out that he had no leads. To top it off, two of his officers were nearly killed by the maniac; one turned savage on the other. He had called all available officers back into the precinct for a briefing; this 'killer on the loose' was far more dangerous than any previous one in the city's history.

"Right, our primary order of business," he began. "As many of you are now aware, there's a serial killer on the streets, and I have just been told he has killed a eighth mammal. He acts like a savage, but a cunning one at that. He tears through them, leaves a calling card, and no one has any clue what he even looks like."  
The officers in the room seemed indifferent; they had dealt with murderers before. Bogo wasn't getting to them.  
"I'm not sure many of you understand the gravity of this issue. Officers Wilde and Hopps were nearly killed when he raided the station yesterday. He turned one savage on the other, and our anti-toxin didn't work." Some animals before him raised their brows quizzically. "To seal the fucking deal, he left his own cure which turned Wilde back to normal. We have no clue what it is, and we can't recreate it. He got out without a trace; the killer then visited him in the hospital and left him flowers. He's fucking toying with us!" Bogo slammed the podium. He seldom swore, but when he did, he meant business. Every officer looked wide awake now.  
"I expect all of you, each and every single one, to help find and capture this psycho. The sooner, the better. It's only been one day and he's killed eight and injured three without a trace; it's possible that he's already killed more. Dismissed."

The officers slowly filed out of the room. Bogo left the room and saw swarms of cameras outside.  
"Shit," he muttered, before trying to wade his way through the river of reporters. They swarmed him before he made it five feet.  
"Chief Bogo, is it true that the serial killer escaped from custody?"  
"Chief Bogo, are mammals safe in their homes?"  
"Chief Bogo…, Chief Bogo…," It was a never-ending din of mammals yelling over each other, each seeking acknowledgment from the buffalo.  
"No comment," responded Bogo, before retreating to his office. He was not in the mood to deal with reporters. He put on his coat; he needed to visit Officers Wilde and Hopps in the hospital.

* * *

He knocked on the door. It was answered by Judy.  
"Oh, hello Chief Bogo! This is unexpected. Come in." She opened the door, letting him in. He ducked under the frame, and stood tall, looking around.  
"So, this is where they have you cooped up, huh Wilde?" asked Bogo, taking his hat off.  
"Chief, what got into you? You're never this jolly," softly replied Nick, a grin growing on his face.  
"I don't normally make house visits. Count yourself lucky, Wilde," retaliated Bogo sternly.  
"So, why are you here Chief?" asked Judy nervously.  
"I wanted to make sure you were both okay. After I heard that Wilde went savage and nothing you did worked, I got worried."  
"Did you hear that Judy? The Chief, worried! About me!" Nick said, laughing.  
"This is no laughing matter Wilde, zip it before I zip you." Nick stopped laughing immediately.  
"Sorry Chief," he muttered.  
"Anyways, I just found out that he's killed another one. That puts the tally at eight dead," Bogo said with displeasure.  
"What can we even do?" Judy asked worriedly. "I shot him with all of my tranquilizer darts and nothing; no dice." Bogo's expression changed to one of anger.  
"Why didn't anyone tell me this!" he roared. "I'm sending my officers out there with dart guns and he can ignore it like it's a peashooter! I need to ask Mayor Lionheart to let us use real guns. None of this 'tranquilizer' _shit_."  
"Sir, with all due respect, the force has done fine with tranquilizers. Real guns were banned for a reason," Judy replied. Bogo grumbled, before looking out the window.  
"I need to get going. Someone has to catch him before he kills the whole city." Bogo put his hat back on, before leaving the room.

* * *

 **Eight Hours Later**

Nick had just been discharged from the hospital. It took him a lot of convincing to allow the nurses to give him any paperwork, but eventually, he had been freed from the wires that connected him to every machine. They gave him some pills for his discomfort, as well as the standard warnings. 'Don't take more than one every four hours', 'No more than three per day', and so on. His chest still hurt whenever he was upright, or tried to take a deep breath, or stretch his arms back, or yawn; basically perpetually. The pills did very little to subside his pain.

Eventually, he and Judy made it to their apartment. Nick took his key and opened the door. The ancient door creaked on its hinges, but didn't stick, which was a blessing; Nick had enough bad news for one day. He didn't need to be stuck outside of their home.

They entered, weary from the days events, dragging their feet across the floor. They heard someone speak from somewhere inside their apartment.  
"It took you a while to get home."

Nick immediately swatted towards the light switch in an attempt to turn it on. Thankfully, it also worked, illuminating the room. In the corner of their bedroom, seated in an armchair with his legs folded and resting his head on his arm was a figure in a long overcoat. They backed up, nearly leaving the apartment, but something in Nick didn't want to leave. He wasn't sure if it was because he had questions that needed answers, or because he wanted revenge on the mysterious assailant; perhaps he knew he had no escape and there was no point in running, or maybe Nick was just too tired to care.

"What do you want?" Nick demanded.  
"Your 24 hours. They are nearly expired," was the reply.  
"That's unfair!" Judy shouted. "Nick was unconscious for at least half of that!"  
"If you expect the world to be fair to you because you are fair to others, you are fooling only yourself. That is akin to expecting the lion not to eat the lamb, because she chose not to eat him first," answered the figure. "But, let it not be said that I am an unfair man. I will give you until 8 am tomorrow." He stood up, walking towards them; he passed them, continuing to the doorway. He stopped partway through the door and turned his head to speak.  
"Do not forget to decide. You and I... If you are as good as I think you are, we could make a good team." He chuckled before he left and closed the door.

Judy remained silent for several minutes before softly whispering to Nick.  
"What are we going to do? Neither of us are in any condition to do anything."  
"Like I said before Carrots, I'll play along in his game. Before you even think about protesting, tell me about a valid alternative."  
Judy stopped. She couldn't think of any other option. Although she desperately didn't want Nick to go, she couldn't volunteer with a broken arm. Not going at all would mean getting killed, and the monster was unstoppable, so getting help was not an option either.  
"Let's just sleep on it Nick."  
"We only have until 8 am Judy, if we oversleep he'll kill us. He already got in without us knowing anything was wrong, what's to stop him from doing it again?"  
"Nick, please," she pleaded. Nick sighed.  
"Fine, just… don't forget to set an alarm," he said resignedly. "7 am, no later."  
Judy nodded, before turning her attention to her phone. After a brief moment, she put it aside.

They could finally lie down and relax after everything they had been through; yet Nick felt he wouldn't be able to, not with the sense of impending doom growing by the hour. He held Judy close, running his paws through her fur. He thought about how it might be the last time he would ever feel her warm embrace, or see her violet eyes, or hear her witty remarks, or share in every moment of his life with her ever again. Eventually, Judy fell asleep, but Nick could only toss and turn.

Hours passed; he looked at the clock: 3:21 am. He sat up, ribs paining him, and took another pill. Even if it didn't relieve his physical pain, it made him feel better to think that it did something. As he looked to his right, he saw that Judy was fast asleep; an idea hatched in his mind. Nick silently crept to where he left his hospital gifts and well-wishings. He sifted through them, the various cards from other officers and old friends, flowers; eventually, he came upon Judy's card. He stared at it, before putting it aside. He couldn't bear to read it now.

At last, he came upon the small cardboard box, buried beneath the other letters. He held it in a tight grip, and glanced at Judy. If she ever found out what he was about to do, she would never forgive him. He opened the flap on the end and peeked inside. Nick rustled through the contents of the box, but could not find the small white cylinder that he had been searching for. _Where is it?_ He pondered. He searched high and low in the apartment, before coming to the realization that Judy had placed it on her nightstand. _Clever bunny._

Nick slowly but silently stalked through the darkness; he could have moved much faster with his night vision, but then with her fantastic hearing she would have woken up to stop him. He reached over the edge of her stand to grab the needle; when he did, his upper ribs began to hurt him immensely. A pained squeak exited his mouth, before he rushed to cover it up with his other paw. Judy stirred slightly, her ears perking up to find the source of the noise. However, after a minute, they fell flat again; she was still asleep. Nick nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but remembered that he had to remain inaudible. He reached again, this time with a lower angle so as not to strain his ribs. He grabbed the syringe, and pulled it close to himself.

Nick retreated towards the window before looking back at Judy. If he chose to continue with his plan, there would be no going back; to him, it made no difference. He loved her too much to let her inject herself. He gave one final inspection of the syringe. It was an off-white cylinder with no distinguishing markings on the casing. On one end was a small needle, capped with clear plastic. It felt strange in his grip, as it was abnormally heavy despite its small size. He gripped the cap and pulled; it came off with a small snap. Nick held his breath and looked to Judy, afraid that the noise would wake her. She didn't move so much as a muscle.

Nick never took a liking to needles, but he viewed this as a necessity. Grabbing the cylinder in his right paw, he stabbed the sharp end into his exposed thigh. With a click, the plastic tube felt much lighter, so he withdrew it and recapped the end. Initially he felt nothing, but after thirty seconds, his thigh began to feel heavy and numb. The numbness quickly spread itself throughout his leg, until soon he couldn't feel or move it at all. He tried limping towards the armchair that the man, as he had called himself, had been sitting in merely several hours before. Before he made it, his other leg fell numb; he stumbled and collapsed on the chair, knocking it over and dropping the syringe on the floor.

Instantly Judy shot up, eyes wide open and ears straight up.

"Nick?! Is that you?!" she said loudly, flicking the lights on. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no one else in the room, but immediately ran to Nick's side when she realized he was in trouble.  
"Nick! What happened!" she asked, wrapping his arm around her in an attempt to get him on his feet. He tried to move his legs but ended up only dragging them behind him. Judy set him down gently, before laying her ear to his chest. He was still breathing and his heart was beating strongly. She reached for a pillow to prop him up, placing it behind his back.  
"I'll go get help!" she said, before standing up. She was stopped by Nick grabbing her leg.  
"Don't. They can't help," he replied, pointing towards the chair. Shortly after, his arm felt weak, so he stopped holding it up.  
"Why not?! You just collapsed! You're not thinking str-". Judy had followed where his finger had been pointing, and noticed the white cylinder; it was capped but bloody. She knelt by Nick and began to sob, leaning her head on his chest and hugging him tightly.  
"W-why did you..." she asked.  
"Because I couldn't let you do it." he answered weakly.  
"Y… You dumb fox!" she said, tears flowing. Nick could feel their warmth flowing down, wetting his chest. Nick remained silent. He used his good hand to hold her head, before it too fell to the ground. Nick leaned back; soon, the numbness overtook him and he fell unconscious.

* * *

Judy knelt over him for hours. She hugged his warm chest, cradled his head, tears flowing. Eventually, his eyes opened.  
"Carrots."  
"Nick!" she said, ecstatic that he was still alive.  
"What time is it?" he asked. Suddenly, as if right on queue, Judy's alarm went off. "Shit, we don't have much time."  
"But Nick," Judy protested, "You already gave yourself the shot."  
"No Judy, I somehow doubt that was the half of it. Can you help me up?" Judy grabbed his arm and pulled; Nick weighed much more than she did, and it took all of her effort to help him up. Eventually, however, he was on his feet.  
"Wow, that feels much better," Nick said, shaking his limbs, hopping from leg to leg. "My chest doesn't even hurt anymore." He put his hands on his ribs and began to take deep breaths, before laughing heartily.  
The rabbit slapped him across the face, interrupting his laugh.  
"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she raged, eyes red from crying. Nick pulled her close and lifted her off the ground with his embrace.  
"I'm sorry Carrots. I had to. I couldn't put you through this." He set her down. "We need to get dressed. I can't fight evil half-naked."  
Judy snorted before laughing loudly. Nick couldn't help but smile upon seeing her happy. They both washed up and got dressed in casual outer-wear. Nick checked the time. 7:33 am. If they hurried, they could go for a walk in the park, as it was only three blocks away. It wasn't the reason they chose the apartment they did, but it was a big bonus.

"Hey Carrots, we still have a half hour. Wanna take a stroll through the park?" Nick suggested.  
"Well, it is almost sunrise and you could do with some fresh air. Sure, why not?" she answered. Nick opened the door, before ushering Judy through. Taking her hand, they set out at a slow pace; they had no need to hurry. If anything, the man would come find them like he always did.  
After they crossed the street into the park, they sat on the bench for a moment.  
"You know Nick, I don't know why we don't do this more often," Judy stated.  
"Yeah, me neither. It's a nice change of pace, it sure as hell beats Bogo yelling at us in the morning," agreed Nick.  
After five minutes of rest, they resumed their stroll. They walked along the path beneath the trees, admiring their beauty, their fresh scent. They stopped briefly by the pond to watch as the birds swam by. They passed the fountain, illuminated by the sunrise. Nick stopped to check his watch; it was 7:58. Those 25 minutes felt like the longest minutes of his life, and for that he was glad. It was nearly time for the stranger to begin his game.

They began their walk back to the apartment. Even though it was sunrise, there was still a lingering darkness in the vicinity, as the trees behind them had obscured the morning sun. Ahead on the path, they saw a wolf in a sweatshirt, with his hood up and arms in his pockets. Up until this point, they had been alone in the park; as time passed, however, they could expect more animals to show up. Nick moved to the side to allow the wolf to pass, but the wolf moved towards him as he approached closer. Nick held Judy closer as he quickened his pace.

He tried to pass the wolf to the right, but the wolf got in his way.  
"Excuse me," Nick stated firmly, before trying to move to the left. The wolf again intercepted him.  
"I'll be taking your phone and wallet," the wolf said, pulling a knife out of his pocket. Nick could attempt to fight the mugger, but with Judy in a cast and with his recent injuries, he would most likely end up injured.  
"Look buddy, I know you don't want any trouble. Why don't you turn around and walk away before you get hurt," Nick bluffed.  
"Are you joking? With what?" the wolf laughed. "Your bunny's got a bad arm and you're limping yourself. That, and you ain't got a weapon." Immediately after the wolf finished his sentence, a tall figure fell from the sky and landed on the wolf with a crunch; blood began to pool under the wolf as its knife went flying, and it let out a quick yowl before reducing to silent whimpers. The timely appearance was none other than the man that Nick and Judy were hoping not to meet.

"You should have listened to him." said the man, before breaking the neck of the wolf he was hunched over. He looked up.  
"Hello Mr. Wilde. Madam," he spoke, nodding to each of them, before stepping off of the wolf and standing straight. "Have you made your decision?"  
"Where the _fuck_ did you come from?!" said Nick, shocked.  
"The wind carries far, Mr. Wilde," he spoke, pointing to the sky.  
"I… I don't even know," replied Nick, massaging his temple with his paw and shaking his head.  
"Finish my game and I shall tell you anything you can possibly want to know. But first, did you decide who shall take on my challenge?"  
"I will," stated Nick, voice unwavering.

"Excellent. The first matter at hand is for you to pick a number between one and ten."  
"Err… Excuse me?" asked Nick.  
"Pick a number. Any number between one and ten," answered the man cheerfully.  
"Uhm… seven?"  
"Seven it shall be then. You will have seven tasks to complete in my challenge," said the man.  
"Shit," grumbled Nick, "I was just about to say one." The man laughed.  
"Indeed you were, Mr. Wilde. I shall give you your first task tonight-"  
"You mean second, right?" Nick interrupted.  
"How so?" queried the man.  
"You said that the first task was to pick a number between one and ten." The man laughed again.  
"It seems foxes are cleverer than I was told. Very, well, your second task. Meet me in Savanna Central, Lion's Gate. Tonight at 7 pm. Come alone, unarmed."  
"If I don't show up?" tried Nick.  
"I will be tracking your whereabouts. If I find out that you purposefully skipped our meeting, I will be disappointed in you." The malice in the man's voice indicated that Nick would not want to skip the meeting.  
"And if I bring company?"  
"Then, Mr. Wilde, I shall just have to entertain my guests."

He took a step away before turning his head to say something. "Oh, I forgot to get more Night Howlers, so pretend that I placed one here."  
"Who are you, and why didn't you kill us?" Judy inquired after a brief pause.  
"All in due time, little one. All in due time."  
With that, the man began to walk away.

Nick looked at the broken wolf on the ground before turning to Judy.  
"Well, it looks like we have eleven hours before I need to be in Savanna Central," he told her. They took several steps back to avoid the quickly forming pool of blood welling beneath the mangled canine.  
"Should we call Investigations?" asked Judy.  
"And tell them what? This 'man' doesn't exactly walk the streets in broad daylight. Besides, I'd rather spend the next eleven hours doing something fun; I'd hate to get caught up in questioning for half of it."  
"Well, you go on ahead then. I'll make the call and catch up with you later."  
"Aww, come on Carrots. You know it's only fun when you're around."  
"Three hours, no more. I promise."  
Nick resigned himself to his fate. "Fine, make the call," he said.  
Detectives arrived in twenty minutes to cordon off the area, and Nick and Judy were whisked off to the station for questioning.

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
** **Precinct One  
1:00 PM**

It had already been five hours since Nick and Judy had been taken to the station. Different officers kept coming in to verify the same three questions over and over again.

"What happened?"  
"What did the killer look like?"  
"What did he tell you?"

If Nick had to hear any of those question again, he thought he would throttle someone. Thankfully, both he and Judy were sitting in the office of Detective Doug Hound; Hound was widely considered to be the best detective that the ZPD had to offer, and his record corroborated the stories. Although Det. Hound had been away investigating the string of serial murders, he offered his office to Nick and Judy when he was called and told what had happened.

"So, three hours, right Carrots?" Nick asked impatiently.  
"I'm sorry Nick," she replied, head hung low in shame.

The duo were waiting for Det. Hound to return; he estimated it would be an hour, but they had already been waiting for twice that. Thankfully, they had been given as much coffee as they could ever need, and were allowed to order takeout. Nick glanced at his watch: 1:04 pm. He had a little under 6 hours to get out of the police station and to Lion's Gate.

Just then, they heard the door open. He turned to look, praying it was Det. Hound. It was only Officer Kane Wilkins, but he had a troubled look on his face.  
"Wilde, Hopps, we've got a problem. We can't reach Hound; he went radio silent 22 minutes ago to tail someone that resembled the suspect that you both described, and now he's failed two check-ins," Kane stated.  
"Where was he before we lost contact?" asked Judy.  
"Leaving downtown for Savannah Central. We suspect he was heading for Riverside based on the path he was taking, but we can't be sure."  
"Savannah Central? That's where..." Nick began, before going silent.  
"Where what? Is there something important that you didn't tell us Wilde?" barked Kane.  
"N-Well… There was something that the killer told me, but I don't think it's too important," Nick mentioned quietly.  
"Well, let's hear it."  
"He said he wanted me to find him at Lion's Gate in Savannah Central at 7 pm. To come alone."  
"You aren't seriously considering his proposition, are you Wilde?"  
"He said there would be consequences if I didn't show up. He already broke into my home without me knowing, as well as into my hospital room. I'm betting he'll follow up on his threat if I don't show up."  
"Wait here, I'll be right back Wilde." Kane left the room.  
"Nick, why did you tell him?" angrily asked Judy.  
"Why not? That way if he's going to kill me, he'll have to go through the police first. Besides, we'll only put a couple of snipers on the rooftops, he'll never even know."  
"Nick, he will go through the police to kill you if he wants! And what good will snipers do, tranquilizers don't do anything to him! This is a terrible idea Nick."  
"You'll have to trust me Carrots, please." Judy bit her lower lip before staring at the wall in defeat.

Kane came back into the room with several other officers.  
"Listen up Wilde, here's the plan; you'll meet up with this killer under police surveillance, and when we have a clear shot, we'll take it. We're placing four snipers on the adjacent rooftops, and there'll be a squad van with SWAT and riot guns. Don't do anything stupid or rash, and follow instructions exactly; we'll give you a stab vest for safety and an earpiece so we can communicate with you," Kane said in a hushed tone of voice. "We'll be in position by 18:40 and have the killer bagged and back in the station by 19:30."  
"See Carrots, no danger at all!" Nick said, cracking a wide smile. "No reason to be afraid."

Except Nick was very afraid.

* * *

 **Savannah Central  
Lion's Gate  
6:40 PM**

Nick was waiting in the lobby of an apartment complex bordering the Lion's Gate when he received a radio transmission from Kane.

"We're all in position Wilde, we'll tell you when to exit to Lion's Gate. Don't go out early or you could blow it."  
Nick had no microphone; it was assumed that he would follow instructions. He didn't intend on leaving before 7 anyways, so Kane had nothing to worry about. Judy was waiting back at the station; they didn't let her leave, lest the man break his word and go after her instead.

Despite Kane's promises of her safety, Nick couldn't help but worry about Judy. He began to daydream about the day the first time they met two years ago; he could hardly believe he was with Finnick, and how he managed to convince Judy to buy a jumbo pop for him. How times had changed; he rarely talked with Finnick now.

"Alright Wilde, you're clear to go." he heard over his earpiece. He checked his watch; 6:57. He had been daydreaming for nearly 20 minutes.  
He stepped out before the Lion's Gate. It was the original point of immigration into Zootopia, set on the mainland only several hundred feet from shore. Now, it served as a tourist trap with very little honor left in the name; it was a shame in Nick's eyes. It was a beautiful outcropping over the sea, with majestic pillars. Gate was a misnomer; it more closely resembled a dual-tiered pagoda with a statue of the original Mayor Lionheart, great-grandfather of the current, proudly standing out front. Such times were far beyond the city. Nick began to slowly walk into the heart of the structure, looking from left to right. Booths lined the street selling various merchandise; animals yelled at him in an attempt to advertise.

Straight ahead, he noticed a figure at the far end of the Gate, facing the ocean; it was the man. Nick paused to face the snipers on the rooftop; he nodded, and continued into the structure.  
"See if you can draw him into our line of sight Wilde," buzzed Kane. He walked slowly, regretting every step he took. Eventually, he made it to the railing next to the man.  
"Mr. Wilde, you are very punctual," voiced the man. "And yet you are limping. Why?"  
"My body aches," Nick replied.  
"No, it does not. Your mind is fooling you into thinking that it does. That shot I gave you repaired the bulk of the damage; that is why your body went numb, so as not to move and interrupt the process." Nick felt his muscles and body with his paws. Maybe the man was right, he didn't actually feel so sore now that he thought about it.  
"Alright, I'll be level with you, why Lion's Gate?" asked Nick.  
"Three reasons. The first being that the Gate is scenic. The second is the shelter the structure provides. The last is the public location. That latter two make it harder for the police to make any moves without risking collateral damage; yet, the public is blind to me."  
Nick scoffed.  
"You're only worried about yourself then?"  
"Not at all; I could have chosen the frozen wastes of Tundratown, but that would have been uncomfortable for you."  
"Walk with me?" suggested Nick. The pair began to walk. All Nick had to do was take the man into the line of sight of the snipers and the police would take care of the rest.  
"There was a trial today for a badger accused of luring and brutally murdering two school-age children." The man procured a folder from beneath his coat, handing it to Nick. It was then that he noticed how heavily armed the man was. He would have to be careful not to provoke him, should he turn and begin recklessly slaughtering the masses of civilians surrounding them. "He was found not guilty in the face of overwhelming evidence, because he payed off the judge and the jury. Your second task is simple." The man stopped and turned to face Nick, kneeling to meet him eye-to-eye. "You are to find him and kill him in any way you see fit."  
"Kill him?!" Nick nearly shouted. "How can I kill him? What proof do I have that he did it?"  
"Everything is in the folder Mr. Wilde. This was a travesty of justice, and you are an officer of the law. Will you not uphold it in its time of need?"  
"I uphold the law, but this? This is just senseless revenge! How do you know that the evidence wasn't falsified?"  
"If you let this badger live he will kill another, and then whose fault will it be?"

It was at this point a raccoon who was vendoring various foods walked up to them to advertise, wrapping his arm around Nick. He attempted to wrap his arm around the man, before the man growled, "Touch me and I will kill you." The raccoon scampered off, and Nick began to walk to the apartment complex. Only a few more feet before the snipers had a clear view of both of them.  
"Going somewhere, Mr. Wilde?" asked the man.  
"I thought you were walking with me." answered Nick smoothly.  
"Into the line of fire of your sharpshooters? I believe I asked you to come alone, as well as..." the man pulled a knife from out of his sleeve before throwing it straight at the fox with blinding speed. It embedded itself into the abdomen area of his stab vest with a thud; Nick could feel the point of the knife gently poking his skin. "...unarmed."  
"Gah! You nearly killed me!" Nick angrily shouted.  
"I know what I am doing, Mr. Wilde."  
Nick looked around. "How does no one notice this shit going on in broad view?"  
"Like I said, Mr. Wilde, the public is blind to me."  
Nick struggled to pull the knife out of his vest, walking back to the man, who deftly pulled it out.  
"So, how did you know?" Nick asked.  
"I can hear their radio banter, and see the bulk of your vest beneath your shirt," replied the man, tapping the side of his head. "Do not be fooled into thinking you are the only one with technology, fox."  
"So, what are you going to do then?"  
"I could kill them all. Or I could take you for a walk in the other direction, have a heart to heart. Your pick."  
"You can't kill them all. There are at least 20 of them, all armed and dangerous."  
"As well as half my size, a quarter of my speed, and nearly none of my experience. You know I can kill them Mr. Wilde." Nick thought about the man's statement for a while.  
"Fine. I'll walk with you."  
"I thought you would see reason," replied the man, before setting off at a brisk pace in the opposite direction. "Try to keep up."

* * *

 **Zootopia Central Park  
** **7:41 PM**

Neither Nick nor the man had spoken any words for the past half-hour. Nick's earpiece had stopped transmitting any sound at about the same point; the last transmission was Kane yelling, asking where he was and why he hadn't drawn the suspect into the open.

The pair had walked from Savannah Central into the same park that they had last met in less than 12 hours ago. Nick was exhausted; he was barely used to driving halfway across the city, despite having lived in it for over 20 years. He couldn't imagine how this man could possibly walk such long distances at the pace he was going the entire day. Eventually they stopped at the fountain, now illuminated by sunset instead of sunrise. Nick sat on the bench to rest, the man stood next to him.  
"So, why did you bring me here? Surely not to kill me?" asked Nick.  
"If I wanted to kill you, you would have been dead in the precinct."  
"Why me then?"  
"Pity, mostly. I never meant for any harm to come to you, but since it did... well... You resisted my drug for several minutes, when it was made to work in seconds, which caught my eye; that is why I came to you."  
"Speaking of which, what the hell was that stuff?"  
"Gene agonist. It binds to fragments in your DNA, activates the portions that govern wild predatory instinct. Your sheer force of will, or perhaps your other instincts: your more nurturing ones, tried to protect the rabbit before they were overpowered. She means much to you, doesn't she?"  
"Leave her out of this."  
"I will, given that you continue the game. If you do not, she will take your place," replied the man. Nick grumbled angrily.  
"Why are you doing this?" asked Nick.  
"Doing what? My game? The killings? Everything has its reasons, but you must be specific. I only have enough time to answer a few questions. After that, you need to complete your second task, and I must be off to complete my own work."  
"The killings. Tell me about your motives, who you kill, why you kill, the whole deal."  
"That is a lengthy explanation, a far-fetched one at that, but I shall try." said the man. He took a deep breath, before speaking again:  
"Corruption runs deep, Mr. Wilde. Even the most noble of creatures will fall for the lust of power in the end. Such is the nature of all living things. The leaders of nations are no exemption. Crime begins at a petty level: thieves taking purses, carjackings, muggings; it progresses in time. Rape, arson, larceny, murder. These are the things that plague society. All driven by a single emotion, a lust for power over another, be it in the form of money, or dominance."  
"How is that any different from you killing, no, mauling innocent animals to death in the streets?"  
"That is the thing Mr. Wilde, they are far from innocent. They are all violent criminals. I kill them because the law refuses to punish them, or simply isn't able to. I do what I must to keep the innocent safe in their homes every night."  
"A mammal assaulting another doesn't merit ripping someone's spine out!"  
"Where would you draw the line, Mr. Wilde?" Nick didn't know what to say. "Tell me, Mr. Wilde, what is the population of Zootopia?"  
"About 3 billion, why?"  
"Imagine now, Mr. Wilde, every face in Zootopia. Everyone you love, everyone you hate. Every fox you've ever seen, every businessman you've conned, every rodent in Little Rodentia. Everyone you've ever met and everyone you didn't meet. Imagine all 3 billion souls in Zootopia, turned to dust in one blinding flash of light. Bogo, Wilkins, Clawhauser, Hound, your parents, Judy. All gone, in an instant. Imagine the pain of losing everyone. Now, imagine that pain _again. And again._ Five times over. This is the pain that I have experienced first-hand. Some say the world will end in fire, but I've seen the harsher reality. It will end in a single explosion as hellfire ignites the very air around you. The oceans will boil, the Earth will never bloom again-"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Nick amidst tears. The moment the man mentioned Judy, his eyes began to well up. It pained him to imagine losing her, and the other imagery the man was spouting certainly didn't help.  
"Do you see now, Mr. Wilde? I lost everyone I cared about once. I will never lose it again. Stopping petty crime seems like a joke compared to the real threat that the world faces, but to my knowledge, animals have not developed cruel bombs. They do not even possess a concept of war, or its atrocities; for the time being, it seems the biggest way I can benefit you or your society is to stop the murderers who threaten your innocent by means of fear."  
"That takes me back to my first question. What do you want with me?" asked Nick.  
"I am testing you. For now, I shall say this: I seek to end up on top; the law just happens to be the easiest way to do that. If your police force turns out to be competent, I shall ally myself with them for that sole purpose."  
"Who are you?"  
"I shall leave this answer simple, since you and I must both get going. You may call me Kai. Don't forget about the folder, it has all the information you will need. Meet me two days from now in this location, 8 am. That gives you whatever is left of today, all of tomorrow, and the early hours of the next day to dispose of the badger in whatever way you see fit. I expect him to be dead the next time we meet. I will be watching."

With that, the man left.

* * *

 **A/N: The full rewrite is basically done, but there are some minor details that I need to wrap up. If I missed something, let me know.  
**

 **Your reviews really help me improve my writing, so leave those if you want.**


	6. Chapter III: A Task Most Sinister

Nick stared at the folder in his clutches in disbelief for a long time before he realized that his phone was ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Judy; he blankly looked at the screen before answering the call.  
"Nick! Where are you!" Judy asked, furiously.  
"Carrots relax, I'm at Central Park by our apartment. Kai took me here from Lion's Gate," answered Nick.  
"Who?"  
"Oh, the stranger, he calls himself Kai. Listen, I need you to get out of the station and back home, there's something I need to tell you in private."  
"Detective Hound came back to the station Nick. He's pretty badly beaten up. He says he needs to see you before I can leave."  
"So they're holding you?" Nick questioned angrily.  
"No, I'm staying because I think you need to hear what he has to say, too."  
"Alright, I'll be there in twenty minutes. They'd better not hold me up for five hours this time."

Nick hung up. The station was less than 20 minutes from his apartment, but he had business to take care of first. What could be so important for him to hear that Judy would hold herself up in the station? He ran back to his apartment. He couldn't afford the police seeing the contents of the folder; there would be far too many questions that he wouldn't be able to answer. When he came to the door he fumbled for his keys, before opening the door. Hiding the folder carefully in a drawer in his dresser, he locked the door and made off for the station.

* * *

It took him just shy of the 20 minutes he had promised to make it to the station. Upon opening the door, he was greeted by Kane barking derogatory statements.  
"You had **one job** Wilde, and you **fucked** it up! How hard was it to get him to take three steps forward! We nearly had the killer but you decided to take a walk in the park! If-" He was interrupted by Nick.  
"Actually, Kane, he knew about the setup and refused to walk into the line of fire," Nick began, pointing to the stab mark in his clothing, and showing that it went through his entire protective jacket. Judy gasped upon seeing the damage, but remained silent. "He said he would kill every one of you if I didn't go with him, so I went."  
"He couldn't possibly kill all of us Wilde, use your brain, shit-for-brains!"  
"Perhaps you didn't see how well he was armed Kane. Knives, grenades, needles, a gun; I could go on, but I would just bore you. So why don't you scamper off and go do something useful for a change."  
"A gun? He can't possibly have a gun, those were outlawed 14 years ago! I-" Nick interrupted again.  
"Murder was outlawed far before that, but I don't see him hooking arms and singing Kumbaya." Kane exploded.  
"I WILL HAVE YOU FIRED OVER THIS! JAILED! IF YOU SA-"  
A booming voice echoed from the upper balcony. It was Chief Bogo.  
"Wilkins! In my office! **NOW**!"  
Kane fell silent immediately. Nick cracked a big smile, before motioning towards Chief Bogo.  
"You'd better go, the Chief doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Kane stormed off muttering obscenities. Nick strolled over to Judy and Det. Hound.  
"You wanted to see me, Detective?" Nick asked. Judy ran her paw over the cut in Nick's jacket, before pulling him into a hug. "Easy there Judy, we're still on the job." She let go before apologizing.  
"Yeah, you may have heard but I got into a bit of a scuffle with the perpetrator you described for me; that's why I couldn't make it to the office earlier. Sorry about that, by the way," replied Hound.  
"I'm just glad to see you're alright. So, what do you have for us?"  
"Well, like you described, I noticed that he was well armed. However, when I tried to apprehend him, he merely brushed me off like I was a nuisance. I pulled my tranquilizer but like yours the darts bounced off or bent; when I tried my stun gun he did some sort of nerve strike, I couldn't use my arm for several minutes after that. Anyways, he took my stun gun and crushed it in his one paw like it was made of paper. Told me that 'he was busy and couldn't afford to be interrupted'. I tried for a kick but he grabbed me and threw me like I weighed nothing." Hound began to massage his arm.  
"So what are you saying Detective?" Nick asked.  
"I'm saying that he's some sort of fiend. He's only just taller than I am, and fairly lanky, but he could beat a polar bear in a boxing match easy. That's not what I came here to say, however. What I came to say was what he told me after he knocked me senseless. He said that he and I had similar goals, to stop crime. He's clearly deranged; all he's been doing is senseless murder since he came into public view, so I believe he was just trying to get to me. Whatever he has to say Nick, don't listen to him. He'll try to get into your head, but you can't take anything he says as truth or fact. Anyways, I'd best be off. I have some paperwork to fill out before I leave, and I want to get out of here before midnight." He bid them farewell and left.

Nick turned to Judy, motioning towards the door. "Let's go home, Carrots. I've had a hell of a day, and there's still something I need to show you." Judy nodded, and the pair left through the front entrance. The sky was fairly dark, but the streetlights and the buildings overhead illuminated the walkways below. They took their time getting home; although they had been separated for the latter half of the day, they both walked in silence.

* * *

Eventually, they made it home.  
Nick and Judy both sat quiet for a minute, before Judy spoke.  
"Where did you go?" she asked solemnly.  
"He took me to Central Park, three blocks from here." Nick stood to retrieve the folder from his dresser. "He gave me this, told me about a… Henry Badgerly." Nick read the name from the first paper in the folder. He leafed through the files, before handing it to Judy for her inspection. "Told me that Henry was tried today for a double murder of two school-age mammals. Not guilty because he paid off the judge and jury."  
"Nick, you can't trust him."  
"He told me there was overwhelming evidence; video proof, eyewitness testimony, DNA, everything. All of it's in there, according to him." Judy inspected the folder, and as she leafed from page to page, her expression changed from one of disbelief to one of shock and then one of horror.  
"Nick, why did he give this to you?" Nick didn't answer. "Nick, why? Answer me, please!"  
"This was my second task. He gave me until 8 am two days from now to 'kill the badger in any way that I pleased'. He said if I didn't that he would make you play his game instead."  
"Nick, you can't!"  
"I know, how can I kill a badger? I'm a cop, serve and protect. This… This is just..." Nick stared at his paws as he fell silent for a very long time. "I have to. For your sake."  
"But Nick-"  
"Judy, there are no buts." Nick interjected. "Not this time."  
"Give the evidence to the police, they can't let him roam free with this-"  
"There's nothing they can do Judy, we can't try him in a court because of the Law against Double Jeopardy." Nick interrupted a second time. "Even if we could, what's to stop him from paying off the judge and jury again?"  
Judy stared at one set of photographs in particular, from a street camera that so happened to capture the grizzly scene in the alley. The badger had lured the kids into an alley, hit one over the head with a cinder block, and cut the throat of the second when it tried to run. He took them behind the dumpster… Judy could bear to look no further.

"I don't know Carrots, it's going to be hard..."  
"Nick..."  
"Don't try to talk me out of it."  
"Nick."  
"It has to be done."  
"NICK!" Nick stopped talking and turned his head to face Judy. The look of fire in her eyes startled him.  
"Carrots?"  
"Kill him," she simply said, sliding the set of photographs to Nick. She stood up to get a glass of water, before returning to the table.  
"A-Are you sure?" Nick asked, voice wavering slightly.  
"He deserves to **burn** ," Judy reiterated, eyelids quivering, tears forming. Nick was startled. This wasn't the Judy he had known. He looked down at the photographs for the first time; what had she seen that had infuriated her so?

He held in his paw a stack of fourteen photographs, which for the most part were time-stamped in increments between five to fifteen seconds. It was evident to Nick that they were taken from a video, selected by a mammal; hence, the irregular timing. The first depicted a badger in an alley, motioning for two young otters to join him. The second showed the otters getting closer. The third showed the badger leading them far down the alley. The fourth showed him pointing towards the back of the alley, their innocent gaze following his finger. The fifth showed him raising a large brick. The sixth depicted a single otter running from the alley, the badger chasing him; the second lay in a quickly forming pool of blood. The seventh depicted the otter caught in a headlock, badger drawing a knife across its throat, blood spraying across the pavement. Nick's could feel anger and horror festering within him.

The eighth picture was of the badger dragging the two fresh bodies to the back of the alley, behind what appeared to be a dumpster. The ninth had them barely in view behind the obstacle. By the tenth they were out of view, but something else had appeared in the frame of the photo beside where they were; clothing, perhaps? In the eleventh photograph there was a sizable pile of clothing by the dumpster. The twelfth was timestamped much later than the eleventh, about eight minutes later, and showed the badger throwing a naked, mutilated otter into the dumpster; a very large pool of blood showed from behind the dumpster. The thirteenth photo showed the badger walking out of the alley in a different set of clothes than the ones he arrived in, and in the fourteenth frame, there was nothing except a scene of blood and gore. From the first picture to the last picture, based on timestamps, the whole crime had elapsed in no more than ten minutes.

Nick felt only despair. If the courts let this monster free with just money, what other, worse monsters lay out there in wait? For the first time, he sympathized with Kai. However, all the sympathy in the world couldn't change one immutable fact. Nick had to take the life of another mammal. He threw the pictures onto the table and buried his head into his paws; it seemed an insurmountable task the more he thought about it. Nick was once a criminal, but a petty one at that. He had never intentionally hurt anyone, let alone killed. How would he even do it?

Would Nick creep into the badger's house in the dead of night and slaughter him in his sleep? Would he catch him out alone and beat him mercilessly before killing him slowly? Or perhaps, maybe he would-  
"Nick!" Judy shouted into his face.  
"What happened?" Nick asked, raising his head to face her.  
"You were daydreaming. I've been trying to get your attention for a minute now."  
"I just don't understand Carrots. How?"  
"How what, Nick?"  
"How am I gonna kill the badger?"  
They both sat in silence for many minutes. Judy had no idea how to answer that question. She had never willingly taken a mammal's life. Inevitably in her line of duty there had been accidents, those that she would always feel guilt for, but never purposeful loss of life.

"How am I going to kill the badger, Judy?" Nick asked again.  
"I… I don't know, Nick," solemnly answered Judy, lowering her head in shame. Nick walked over to the folder containing the rest of the badger's information. He lived in the Burrows, about 10 minutes away by rail. If Nick left in the early morning, he could take the first train there, kill Badgerly in his sleep, and be back in time for breakfast. Back in time to share his remorse with Judy; back in time to feel the pain of his sin. The rest of the day would be theirs.

They ate a quiet dinner and went to bed. Nick needed all the rest he could get for his plan to work.

* * *

 **The Burrows  
** **The Next Morning**

Nick had just stepped off the train. He checked the map on his phone; according to its instructions, he only had three minutes of walking before he would be there. It was very early, the sun wasn't up yet and the streets were only illuminated by the scant light from the streetlamps. He was wearing very dark gray pants and a black sweatshirt, along with a black beanie. If he was caught by anyone, he was sure to get arrested; being a fox was almost a crime in and of itself, but being a fox wearing sketchy clothing in a neighborhood was almost a death sentence. Luckily he had the cover of darkness to aid in his concealment.

Nick was equipped with nothing more than a lock pick; had he brought his tranquilizer, they could have traced it back to him, and any other weapons would be of no real use. He walked up the stairs out of the metro, and swung a wide left. Nick glanced at his watch: it was currently 6:21 am, and the sun would clearly illuminate the streets by about 7:45. That gave him about an hour to do the deed, and the rest to escape. A left, followed by an immediate right, and a delayed left. A minute of walking, and the house would be on the right.

He had arrived. Nick stowed his phone and set to work picking the lock on the door. He hadn't picked locks in a little over a year, and his current efficiency portrayed his lack of practice. Eventually, the lock gave and the door creaked open. Nick cursed how loud the door was and prayed that the badger wouldn't wake up. Thankfully, no one came, and there was no indication that anyone inside was stirring. Nick slowly crept into the dark house.

He first visited the kitchen; if he was to kill the badger, he couldn't do it with his bare paws. He searched the drawers and cabinets until he found a sufficiently sized knife: not so large as to be unwieldy, but not so small as to be impractically non-lethal. Knife in paw, he set out to find the badger. He searched through what appeared to be a living room, then a dining room, and completed his first floor sweep in a lobby of some sort. He went down a flight of stairs, each one creaking beneath his step.

Upon reaching the bottom, Nick noticed that even with his predatory night-vision, he was practically blind. He dared not flip on the lights, but stumbled around regardless. It seemed to be a large theater room; it explained to Nick where the badger got his money to pay off the court. Past the curtains was the backstage; it seemed to stretch much farther than a backstage should have been able to go. Suddenly a rotten stench befouled the air. It made him gag to the point of tears, but he could not leave it unchecked. Nick followed his nose towards a heavy steel door with holes cut into it, presumably for ventilation. The closer he got, the further he was appalled by the pestilent odor.

As Nick groped for the handle to the heavy door in the darkness, he heard the sound of pained breathing. The fox quickened his pace, and eventually found the handle. It took an enormous amount of effort to open, and when it did, a light inside clicked on. Nick glanced around inside and immediately regretted it. He had found numerous young mammals, all chained to the wall. All were emaciated with fur falling from their skin; ribs showed clearly against their thin bodies. Every cub and kit had blood oozing from numerous welts and cuts that presumably originated from the whip wrapped around a knob on the wall. Nearly a third of the dozen were dead; half of the remaining ones were dying. Not a single one had a shred of clothing on, save for muzzles around each of their mouths. Nick realized that the source of the smell was a combination of rotting mammal, feces, and urine, none of which had been cleaned in probably many months. One of them turned its head up to face him; its solemn expression begging for the peace of death.

Nick immediately vomited before stumbling out of the room; if he ever was unsure about killing Badgerly, he wasn't anymore. He quickly made his way up the stairs to the lobby. Knife in hand, he climbed the steps one-by-one; silently, yet swiftly, efficiently. The third step creaked and Nick paused; there was no noise from upstairs. He continued his journey. As he was on the penultimate step, something flashed before his face, and he narrowly managed to duck to avoid it. A kick met his chest and he stumbled down the stairs.

Nick felt a blinding pain in his side; he had fallen on the knife he was carrying, and it had pierced his flesh, narrowly missing his kidney. He looked up just in time to see an angry badger leaping down the stairs, knife of his own in hand, barreling straight towards him. Nick raised his arms and managed to grab the paws of the badger, stopping the knife several inches above his chest.

"I don't know who the hell you are, or why you're in my house, but it looks like this is where you die, fox!" the badger said in a gleeful tone.  
The knife inched closer to Nick's chest; when it was less than half an inch, Nick managed to plant a firm kick into the badger's rear, sending him tumbling away. Nick got up and began to hobble away, but the badger quickly caught up, stabbing Nick just above his ankle. He cried out in pain before falling over. The badger pulled his knife out and tried to go for the kill, but Nick kicked the badger away.

Nick saw it, a few feet away: a knife he had discarded earlier that fell to the floor. He hadn't bothered to pick it up, and he was thankful that he hadn't. He had begun to crawl towards it.  
"Don't think I'm going to let you get that," laughed the badger, before running past Nick and kicking the knife away. He held the knife before Nick's eyes. "I'm going to enjoy gutting you!" the badger taunted. He raised the knife over his head, and put his free hand on Nick's head.

In an instant, Nick pulled the badger's feet from under him and used all of the strength left in his legs to kick himself on top of the badger. The badger's knife scattered to the side, and he was left defenseless. Nick bared his fangs.

"N-No wait, I was j-just kidd—Ah!" The badger shrieked an unnatural howl as Nick's powerful bite pierced the badger's throat. "P-Plea- **h** **ugkh!** " The badger had tried to speak, blood gushing from his neck, before Nick managed to bite through his windpipe as well. Nick clamped his jaws down hard, and began viciously shaking the badger from side to side. In the end, several minutes later, the badger died. Nick only released his prey when he was sure that the life left its eyes.

The fox fell on his non-impaled side, now soaked in blood. He checked his watch: 7:13 am. He had to hurry, and with an injured leg, he was going to have to further expedite the process. But first, he had to take care of some business. He took his paw and using the badger's blood, drew a message on the floor.

"DOWNSTAIRS  
BEHIND CURTAIN  
METAL DOOR  
SAVE THEM"

Next, he bandaged his leg as best as he could using a towel that he grabbed, at least to stem the flow of blood. Nick then stumbled to his feet and walked to the house phone, before dialing the police and setting the receiver on the countertop. As he walked out the door, he could hear the responder speak, "Hello, where is your emergency?". It didn't matter if he spoke or not, they could trace the landline.

Nick hobbled down the street as fast as he could, consulting his phone for directions. After seven minutes, he made it back to the metro. He had received a dirty look from a lion who was walking up the stairs, but it didn't matter; he had obscured his face, and the beanie hat would hide his fox ears from prying eyes. He made it onto the train, and leaned against a pole. He didn't want to sit, lest the knife protruding from his side get misplaced, or lest he leave any blood on the seat.

It was a painful ride back to his home destination, but he pulled through. He stumbled off and checked the time: 7:37 am. He was running out of time, but he was nearly there. He crossed the street to his apartment complex and entered. He took the elevator to his floor, and eventually stumbled to his door. He knocked.  
Judy answered the door, and upon seeing him, nearly screamed.  
"Hey Carrots, a little help?" Nick said, cracking a smile. She helped him inside, before slapping him upside the head. "What the hell Carrots, that hurt!"  
"You could have died! You almost did die! And you're cracking stupid jokes!" She tried to hug him, but her arms brushed against the knife in his side. Nick yowled in pain.  
"Oh man Nick, we need to get you to the hospital!"  
"No, we just need to bide our time until Kai gets back. He's basically a space wizard, I'm sure he'll fix this up in no time. Besides, I can't walk into a hospital with blood all around and in my mouth, stabbed in my side and leg. Especially not when a murdered badger turns up in a couple of hours."

Nick's expression slowly changed to one of horror as it dawned on him as to what he saw and did in that house.  
"Nick, what's wrong."  
"Oh no… Those kits… I—I—" His expression went blank.  
"Nick, tell me what happened."  
"I… I killed him."  
"I know that, that was the point."  
"No, you don't understand. I… I saw things. In his basement, he… a metal door… there were a dozen kits, all naked, tortured, _muzzled…_ half of them dead… the smell. The horrible smell." Nick began to cry.  
"Nick, it's over now, you killed him."  
"He was a savage Judy, and I stooped to his level."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"This blood, it's all his; I tore his throat out like a savage!" Judy covered her mouth in shock. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, leaning in. "I… I did what I had to… to survive… please don't hate me… I'm not a monster, Judy… I'm not a monster." He leaned his head into Judy's chest; his tears mixing with blood and flowing down her shirt, staining it.  
Judy held him close and also began to cry. "I know you're not a monster, Nick. You did the right thing. Now let's get you cleaned up, and then we can go lie down."

She helped him remove what clothes would come off, and cut away the clothes that would not; all of it would go into the wash, and then whatever couldn't be salvaged would go into the trash. She then ushered him into the shower. The blood that washed off seemed like it would stain the very Earth forever. When the hot water rushed over Nick's ankle or his side, he would wince slightly. In the end, Nick was clean of all blood except for that which was coming out of his own two wounds.  
Judy sat him at the chair, and began bandaging his leg up tightly.  
"Ow Carrots! Not so tight!"  
"Maybe if you weren't so reckless I wouldn't have to be hurting you." Nick fell silent. Having realized what she said, Judy apologized.  
"It's… I'm going to be okay."  
After his leg was tended to, Judy commanded him to lie belly down on the table.  
"This is going to royally hurt. A lot. Sorry about this Nick."  
"What's going to—OW!"  
Judy had pulled the knife from his side before applying a lot of pressure to the wound.  
"Couldn't you have poked me with a tranquilizer first, Carrots?"  
"You lost blood. It wouldn't be safe."  
After the flow of blood had stopped, Judy took a sewing needle and thread, both of which she had soaked in alcohol.  
"Oh shit. Please tell me you're just going to hem my shirt."  
"Sorry slick. No such luck."

She began to stitch up his wound. Nick was squirming from pain, but remained mostly silent. Eventually, after much anguish, Judy was done.  
"You'd make a great nurse, Carrots."  
"You'd make a great spy, my _sly fox_."  
"My _caring_ _bunny_."

The pair lay down in bed and turned on the television. Mostly unimportant happenings in Zootopia, but soon the broadcast featuring Harry Badgerly had shown up; it had stated that an unknown assailant, most likely the Night Howler killer, had broken into his house and killed him after a struggle, as well as mentioning the fact that Badgerly had been keeping a dozen young cubs chained in his basement for over two months. Investigations were in the progress of discovering bones in his backyard, so it was unclear for how long he had been kidnapping younglings and stowing them away; as of yet they estimated twenty cubs at least over a period of a year.  
"Unknown assailant," scoffed Nick.  
Judy turned off the TV and turned to face Nick.  
"Unknown assailant? That doesn't matter. You saved innocent cubs, Nick. You're a bona fide hero. Better yet, they think the killer did it."  
"Yeah, but I don't feel like a hero. I feel like a monster; the worst isn't even behind me yet, I still have five more tasks left in Kai's game."  
"Well, we still have a day until you have to see him again."  
"A day? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Nick devilishly.  
"Let's find out, _my hero_." replied Judy with a sinister smile.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was fun to write. Your reviews help me improve my writing, so if you think my writing style could use improvements, let me know.**


	7. Chapter IV: Crime and Punishment

**Foreword: Sorry for anyone who may have wanted lemons, I haven't had much time to think about how to write it without making it awkward. I'll try again and if I get something, I'll update the chapter. As for now I'll just stick to plot development.**

 **Edit: Still no lemons, sorry.**

* * *

Nick had never had a more relaxing day in his entire life; he was with the love of his life, in a comfortable bed, at home, all without a care in the world. He checked the clock: 6:53 pm. He still had nearly thirteen hours until he had to be at the park to meet Kai. He turned to face Judy. She was lying on her side, exhausted from their day's fun.

 _If rabbits are good at multiplying, then this fox is a professor of calculus,_ he mused, before staring towards the ceiling. It was cracked, like most of the fixtures in the slightly worn-down apartment, but the fact that it belonged to them made it special in his heart. Never before had the fox been able to say 'I got that without hustling another animal', and be proud of it.

The television had been running for about an hour now, and Nick was occasionally listening to what was being said. In a recap of the day's events, some foreign dignitary had visited the city and made some minor headline by speaking with the mayor. The dignitary's attire was very regal, and yet seemed amazingly exotic; it intrigued Nick to look at the stark difference between his deep blue and gold uniform with tailcoat and ceremonial sword, compared to Mayor Lionheart's black suit with tie and briefcase.

The news switched to recent developments in the Badgerly case; they had discovered that a second source of blood belonged to an unidentified fox. Nick's heart rate quickened. This was bad news: if they discovered that he was the culprit, there would be enormous trouble; possibly even a death sentence. The very thought made him shudder.

The fox nearly fell out of his bed when he heard a rustling out of his door. Nearly immediately the lock on the door clicked and the door swung open. Kneeling on the other side was none other than Kai.  
"W-What the fuck, do you mind?!" furiously shouted Nick, awaking Judy.  
"Not at all," was the response, before he shut the door behind himself. Nick noticed that Kai was carrying a case with him, and swung on his back was a very familiar ceremonial sword.  
"Where did you get the sword? More importantly, **get out.** I don't have to see you until at least twelve hours from now," Nick said angrily.  
"I was taking care of… diplomatic matters; there is no time to explain now. There has been a change in plans; Mr. Wilkins suspects that you murdered the badger."  
Nick's heart nearly stopped.  
"Kane? H...How?" The man threw a white cylinder from inside his coat to Nick, who fumbled with it before catching it firmly.  
"Inject that. You lost blood at the badger's house, and when they found out it belonged to a fox, given last night's experience with Mr. Wilkins, he believes you and I are involved. While he is correct, it is on a misguided notion."  
"Why would I inject thi-" Nick began, before being cut off.  
"Antibiotics; blood poisoning is a terrible way to die. He is on his way here now to question you. He does not yet have a warrant, but I suspect that he will take almost anything as probable cause."  
"How did Chief Bogo allow him to do this?" asked Judy worriedly.  
"He didn't. Mr. Wilkins never asked." He stopped and turned to glare at Nick. "Inject it."  
"Stop nagging, I'll do it." Nick uncapped the needle and poked himself; it gave a burning sensation that quickly faded.

"I leave you with two options. The first: I can let you deal with Mr. Wilkins and his lackeys while I continue about my business. We will still meet at 8 am tomorrow, given that he doesn't do away with you."  
"What's the other option?" probed Nick, not inclined on the man's wording.  
"I can dispatch one of his goons and take him on a chase. This will only give you a stay of execution, unless you can inform Mr. Bogo about Mr. Wilkins' actions. In this case, we will reconvene tomorrow at noon. I would highly recommend this option."  
"Why do I get a bad feeling when you say dispatch?" asked Nick with disbelief.  
"They are crooked, Mr. Wilde. Those who uphold crime are no better than those who commit it."  
"So you're gonna kill him?!" asked Judy. "There has to be another way!"  
"The choice is always yours. Alternative options are risky and have nearly no chance of working; Mr. Wilkins is a dog, and a perceptive one at that."  
"Well, how long do we have to choose?" queried Judy.  
"He will arrive in about an hour. He is avoiding as many cameras and witnesses as he can."  
"We've got time then, let's hear the alternatives," Nick interjected confidently.

"Very well. I can kill all of them, but multiple dead officers on your doorstep is very suspicious. If I killed them in transit, word would get out that he last went to investigate you before his suspicious death."  
"I didn't want them dead anyways. What's next?"  
"You can leave, pretend to be out for a while, but he would break in and wait for you in your home."  
Nick only stared at Kai, his brow narrowing in suspicion.  
"I can stage a kidnapping, and take you with me; although it would alleviate all suspicion, you would most likely break a bone or two, and I have no means with which to entertain you."  
"… You're joking, right?"  
"I can put on a disguise and wait here with you in the hopes that Mr. Wilkins will leave if he sees me here. However, given his skills at perception, it will be a very risky strategy."  
"You don't even closely resemble any mammal I've ever seen!" Nick said while laughing boisterously.  
"Precisely why I suggested two options, one of which was vastly preferable to the other."  
"Why don't you just _incapacitate_ one of them and take the rest of them on a chase?"  
"When his servant wakes up, what do you think Mr. Wilkins will tell the world? That he can justify his crusade because he was so close to capturing me while maintaining a safe distance? No, one of them must die."  
"What about that gene… er… whatever it was, can't you-" suggested Nick, before being cut off.  
" **No.** If your priorities are such that you would rather I endanger civilians by enraging a **mutt** than take a safer option at the cost of one evil soul, then maybe I should just let you die instead," Kai growled. "Besides, Mr. Wilkins does not care for his followers; even if I broke them over my knee he would rather try in vain for results from his further pursuit than turn back to see their salvation." Nick sighed, before falling silent.  
"What's the safest option you can take that doesn't involve killing?" Judy piped up, curiously.  
"If you must take a non-lethal option, facing him alone is the most likely to work."  
Judy glanced at Nick, who stared back at her. The look in his eyes indicated that he didn't want to take the chance, but neither of them wanted another mammal to die; especially not for their sake.

"We'll do that," answered Judy, after a moment of deliberation.  
"Very well then, Madam. I will be attending to my investigations, so if matters get out of hand here, you will be on your own." Kai turned to leave, walking to the door. "Oh, and Mr. Wilde? You did a fairly decent job with the badger; sloppy, but decent. Next time, if you want to kill a mammal, then you must view them as beneath you. They are savage beasts, incapable of knowing right from wrong; the only way to help society is to rid it of these monsters. You must view them as such if you do not want the burden of guilt bearing down on your conscience."  
" **Get out** ," Nick said furiously through gritted teeth.  
The man opened the door and stepped out, shutting it behind him. After fumbling for a second, the lock clicked shut.

"Who does he think he is, barging into our home like that!" shouted Nick.  
"Nick, you need to calm down. He's only trying to help." Judy responded.  
"Carrots, he broke in, threatened us, and suggested how I could make a better murderer! He's doing a great job at helping!"  
"He gave us time to prepare."  
Nick grumbled angrily before falling flat on the bed, to stare at the ceiling. The news was still running, but was now showing irrelevant stories; it helped Nick to drone out the sounds of the city. Judy got out of bed and began to dress in casual wear; although she was allowed to take off the sling, it was still sore, and so she was careful not to jostle it too much. Nick snapped back to reality five minutes later when a pile of clothes smacked him in the face.  
"Let's go, dumb fox. We don't have all day."  
Nick put on the clothes that Judy threw to him, and the pair sat down at the table.

Now, they would wait.

* * *

 **Across the Street  
** **Several Minutes Later**

Kai decided to set up on the two rooftops that had vision of their apartment's interior as well as its entrances; despite the protests of the fox and rabbit, he would not leave their fate up to chance. He opened his case; it contained three things: a high-energy helical railgun, a blue and gold tailored uniform, and a slightly faulty disguise projector. The former had originally been placed as an afterthought, in the event that he would need to perform a long-range, silent and lethal kill. It appeared that now might be such a time. The case was not originally designed for it, but thankfully the gun was collapsible.

The latter two were his first real attempt to blend in to (as opposed to hide from) mammal society. Kai had salvaged a disguise projector from the armory, replacing the broken pieces with parts from the fabricator; it was originally a tool for espionage, to mimic another human to a near-perfect degree of accuracy. The projector consisted of a small box, the size of a hand-held radio, in addition to several wires that had to be routed along the body and strapped in place. It had its limits, of course: the one who used it had to be close to the same height as the person they tried to imitate, as well as relatively similar in body structure. Kai had spent several hours of each of the past few days attempting to modify it to work for human-to-animal mimicry.

Kai had chosen to disguise himself as a gray wolf, namely for two reasons. The first was that a gray wolf would be closer to his actual height and body structure than any other animal; he had noticed a lack of primates, and other animals would not have matched as closely. The second was that wolves could be arctic or temperate animals, and having spent a large portion of his time in both Tundratown and the more moderate regions of the city, Kai would not look out of place masquerading as one. A wolf that he saved from being murdered, Jack, had offered a blood sample with which to program the device when Kai asked.

For the most part, the disguise was successful, except for some obvious defects. When disguised, external features that a human would not have such as a snout or tail would not be physical; if anything grazed these extremities, the object would pass right through. His left ear and tail were cropped short, and his left eye showed Kai's actual visage; instead of an icy blue, the glaring red cat-like eye of his mask was visible. To alleviate these issues, he took to wearing an eyepatch in his disguise, as well as adopting the backstory that the deformities were scars from fights. He would fix the device later, but in the meantime, the current disguise would have to do.

He undid the straps holding the weapon in place, and pulled the railgun from the case before closing it. Kane would arrive soon, and Kai would have to be ready to take a shot if things down below turned awry. After setting it up and facing it towards the apartment, he waited for the cop to show up.

Eventually, Kane, another dog, and a lion pulled up to the apartment complex. As they stepped out, Kai saw that the trio were armed with more than just tranquilizer pistols; he would have to be careful about how he did this. He watched as they entered the building; the whole way up, he could tap into their radio conversation with some mammal back at the station. It made him wonder how they managed to keep it a secret from Bogo; he reckoned the whole station must have known by know. Perhaps Bogo was the only good cop left, aside from the fox and the rabbit.

Eventually the trio came into view from Kai's vantage point. He trained his railgun on them, watching them through the scope. Kane stood in front of the door, while his two lackeys hid on either side of the frame. Kane knocked on the door, but after two minutes no one had responded. He knocked again, this time with more effort; if there was anyone in the apartment, they must have heard. Still no response. Kai had turned his back on their home for maybe two minutes, if that. Where could they have gone? Kane turned his head to the left and right, nodding to his companions, before kneeling to the lock on the door.

"Shit," muttered Kai. He would have to take action if he didn't want them to break in. He stood tall on the rooftop, holding the gun to his side.  
"Mr. Wilkins! I hear that you have been mistaking my work for that of someone else," he yelled loudly. The dog stood and turned quickly, drawing his firearm. "Do not bother with your tranquilizer; I am out of your range. You would only hit a civilian."  
"I might have a tranquilizer," Kane began before motioning to the dog on his left, "But he doesn't."

In this moment, the other dog took two steps forward, raised his rifle, and shot. What Kai had mistaken for a tranquilizer rifle had, in fact, been a live carbine. The bullet whizzed and, with an enormous amount of luck on the dog's part, struck Kai in the face; had he not been wearing his mask, it could have been a deadly shot. It merely deflected, but the unexpected force caused Kai to fall backwards; the noise of the gunshot echoed between the buildings.

He quickly readjusted, aiming his own weapon towards the targets. He would have to make a fast yet accurate shot. Before he had the opportunity to scope in, he heard a creak. A second gunshot rang out; Kai prepared himself for the worst, but it appeared that the bullet went nowhere near him. As he looked down his sights, he noticed two things. The first was that the three targets were lined up, giving him a clean shot. The second was that the door was open, and that the dog was partly inside the doorway. Kai exhaled and squeezed the trigger.

A loud, high-pitched metallic whine rang throughout the air. In an instant, the fifty gram projectile accelerated to 60,000 meters per second; it carried four hundred times the energy of the bullet that struck him, was quieter, did not sway from its path, and was impossible to dodge. In an instant, it traced a path through the skull of the lion, the humerous of Kane, and then through the chest of the second dog, an inch above its heart, before sailing through the apartment and embedding into the metal piping of the floor. The blood and fluid of the animals could not move out of the way fast enough for the projectile, so it instead cavitated, creating a brief vacuum that instantly collapsed with disastrous results: the lion's head ceased to exist, Kane's arm was nearly torn from his body, and the dog's heart exploded. They all instantly slumped over quietly, with the exception of Kane, who was howling in agony.

Kai quickly collapsed the gun into his case and leaped to the carnage. He stepped over Kane, so as to inspect the damage to the inside of the apartment. It was then that he realized where the second bullet from the dog's rifle had fired. Inside the apartment, on the ground, tranquilizer in paw, was the rabbit. She must have been shot either when she opened her door, or when the trio broke it open. Her breathing was raspy, blood was bubbling at her chest and her mouth, and she was unconscious; she had been lung-shot. Hunched over her was the fox.

" **You** ," seethed Nick, tears flowing unchecked. " **This is your fault.** "  
"She will live," began Kai. The truth was, he didn't know if the rabbit would live; he was merely attempting to calm the fox down. "I warned you about the consequences of going alone, and-"  
" **None of this would have happened if you just fucking left!** " shouted the fox. "Now I'm going to lose her."  
"You are being irrational. She is only lung-shot, and the hospital isn't-"  
" **ONLY LUNG-SHOT?!** " Nick screamed. Suddenly, a laughter rang out from behind Kai.  
"See? You think that you're some vigilante, but you just caused three innocent mammals to die!" Kane said smugly, before laughing. Kai fished out a syringe from his vest before throwing it to Nick.  
"Give her this, I have a dog to fry." Nick raced to inject the medication, before turning to face the action. Kane was now standing, clutching his arm held barely to his body by sinew and torn muscle.  
"You're nothing more than a serial killer. You never were, and you never will be," Kane spat out before smiling a broad smile. "In fact, I think when I get back to the station, I'll tell-"  
Kai punched Kane in the side of his ribcage with such force that Nick could hear the ribs crack.  
"'You'll tell' what, Mr. Wilkins? I think you will be hard-pressed to talk without a voice."

He then kicked the dog's knee from the side, knocking him down. Kane stumbled, and put up his good arm in a weak attempt at a defense. Kai swatted it away, before grabbing his damaged arm and tearing it off in one deft motion. Kane shrieked a bloodcurdling cry, before being interrupted by being hit across the head with his recently detached arm. Kai grabbed the dog's throat with his right hand; Kane briefly opened his mouth to gag, which gave the man enough time to plunge his other hand down the dog's throat; Kane attempted to bite down, but his fangs could find no purchase on the man's stab-resistant shirt. Soon, the shrieks and sounds of struggle stopped, even though it was evident that Kane was still attempting to make noise; Kai let go of the dog's throat and tore his left hand out, before dropping a bloody mess of flesh on the floor.

Kane was now spitting and coughing vast amounts of blood, but was silent except for a soft hiss emerging from his mouth, and the sound of his only arm flailing, clawing at the floor.

"Your vocal chords sound so much better outside of your body, Mr. Wilkins," Kai spoke, before cackling maniacally. He leaned in close and softly spoke into the dog's ear: "Allow me to let you in on a secret, _mutt_. This pain you are feeling is only the beginning. I have so much more in store for you."

Nick had to use all of his willpower to refrain from throwing up at the show of violence that he just witnessed. He focused instead on Judy, to whose wound he was applying firm pressure. Kai turned to them and knelt next to her. Judging from the angle, he could tell that the bullet only hit her lung; he lifted her up, despite Nick's protests, to inspect the bullet wound. It had gone through, although he couldn't be sure if there were fragments still inside. He reached into his jacket for another syringe; this one was a deep crimson color with a milky white suspension. He handed it to the fox.  
"If her pulse or breathing stop before an ambulance arrives, give her this. If it does not come to that, burn the autoinjector."  
"Why?" angrily questioned Nick. "Why can't you stay here? You made this mess, you **will** fix it."  
"I need to interrogate Mr. Wilkins. He may have no voice, but he only need lips to whisper. He had real projectile firearms, and it appears he might be a part of something bigger. I have to find out how deep it goes, who is supplying him; the details."  
"Why do I need to burn this… whatever the fuck it is, if I don't use it?"  
"It is unstable, meant only to be used within several hours to a day of its manufacture. If it exists for longer, it becomes prone to destabilizing into something worse."  
"Yeah, but… what is it? Why is it red?"  
"Time is wasting, Mr. Wilde. Either way, that question is best left unanswered for the time being." Kai walked over to Kane, who had until this point been clawing at the floorboards, and grabbed his arm. He twisted it deftly, and it dislocated with a loud popping noise. "Struggle, Mr. Wilkins, and I will torture you such that when I am done, you will beg me to kill you," he threatened, before slinging the dog over his shoulder and walking out the door.

Kai didn't know why, but he began to feel sorry for the fox, and had for the first time felt remorseful. He shook it off; if he didn't steel his nerves, it could escalate into something dire. He could feel the dog on his shoulder pass out, most likely due to blood loss. Luckily, he had prepared two of the red autoinjectors.

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
Precinct One**

Kane awoke with a fright in a cold, dark room; his heart was racing, and he was out of breath, but he did not know why. He tried to get up, but found that without his arm, it was extremely difficult. Everything in his body hurt, most of all his arm; he was getting phantom pains that were akin to needles stabbing through his flesh, and there was nothing he could do about it. He attempted to lift his other arm, but found that he was, in fact, bound to a chair that was lying on its side.

He looked around, but could see nothing special; there was a faint glimmer of light coming from behind some blinds on a window, a desk, some filing cabinets… an office of some sort. An office that Kane had been in only 18 hours ago. It was the office of Chief Bogo.

He flailed until the chair fell on its back, and tried to yell for help; all that happened was a loud hiss, and an extreme pain in his throat. He looked to the door, hoping for some semblance of an escape; instead, he saw glaring at him two red slits.  
"I see you are finally awake," spoke an all too familiar voice.  
"..." Kane attempted to yell obscenities at the man, but could not muster any voice.  
"Now, now. You will need to stick to a whisper. I left your lips intact so that you can give me some vital information." The shadowed figure flicked the lights on and lifted the chair into an upright position.  
"I'm... not talking," whispered Kane, barely managing to get the words out.  
"I expected as much. However, fortunately for me, pain is the best motivator; this can go two ways. The first: you answer every question I ask diligently like the dog you are-"  
"Fuck you," Kane hissed.  
"Choice two it is."

The man pulled from his belt a syringe and held it in front of the bloody animal.  
"Let it be known that I am a generous man; I am giving you a last chance to comply with my initial request. All I want to ask are a few questions and then you can go free; I guarantee that if you do not, the next four hours will be the most painful last hours that any living being has felt in the past three thousand years."  
"… Try me," Kane hissed. The man chuckled.  
"This syringe is filled with nociceptor agonist. Those words probably mean nothing to you, so allow me to elaborate. When I poke you with this needle, the molecules in this solution will bond to every pain receptor in the injection site and permanently open them… Well, semi-permanently. It lasts about a month, but you will be dead long before then. You will be unable to pass out, and every cell will burn with the heat of a thousand suns. How much pain you feel before you die will depend entirely on how well you answer my questions."  
The man first stabbed the needle into the dog's stump arm, before withdrawing it. Immediately Kane felt a pain like never before; it felt like someone dumped acid on his arm, set it on fire and then began to stab it with knives. He began to flail before being held down by Kai.  
"Now, tell me. Where did you get your guns?" Kai asked patiently. No response. "Perhaps I need to do a little more… persuasion?"  
"Wait, stop!" suddenly whispered Kane.  
"So you will speak?"  
"No, your fly is down." The dog laughed, or tried to, but instead wheezed pathetically. Kai quickly stabbed the needle into his prisoner's stomach. He lurched over, and would have fallen with the chair had the man not grabbed it.  
"You will soon learn that I am not playing games."

* * *

 **Two Hours, Thirty-Seven Minutes Later**

Kane no longer had any energy to writhe; he had expended it in the two and a half hours prior. His entire lower body was on fire, and he was broken. It took the man two hours and twenty-five minutes to get him to talk.  
"Now, last question. Who else is involved?"  
"I… I don't know. Just-"  
"Wrong answer." The man prepared to stab him in his good shoulder, before he interjected quietly.  
"Wait! Please, no more! I honestly don't know, Retta came up to me one day and told me that she had a group of other cops who-"  
"Who is 'Retta'? Where can I find her?"  
"She's the raccoon in upper administration, wears glasses, I didn't know her before she came to me that day but she said that I would make a fine addition."  
"You never met any other officers, with the exception of the two you went with today?"  
"I didn't even meet them, I asked her for backup and she sent them."  
"I see. Allow me to make a phone call, there is someone else I would like for you to tell this information to."  
"No! No more!"  
"The alternative is that I give you the rest of the serum and leave you here until after the weekend, during which time no one will come into this office. You will be here, alone, writhing in agony until someone walks through that door. When that time comes, you will beg for them to kill you."  
"… who will you call?"  
"Your boss."  
"Are you mad?! You want me to talk to him over the phone?"  
"Yes, except he will come here, and you will tell him in person."  
"In what?" questioned Kane. Kai kept forgetting he couldn't use old slang to convey messages.  
"Face to face."

Kai retrieved a burner phone from inside his coat. He proceeded to dial the cell of Chief Bogo.

 _This has been a meeting long overdue_. Thought Kai, as he heard the other end pick up.

* * *

 **Zootopia Central Hospital**

Nick was sitting in a chair by the hospital bed. It was strange to think that it was less than a week since both he and Judy were last here. Both times were caused by Kai; this time, his and Judy's roles were switched. All Nick could do for the last two hours was sit in a waiting room until she had been transferred from an operating theater to a room, and now that she was, he couldn't bear to leave her side.

Judy's ears lay down beneath her head, her body motionless except for her breathing. The monitor next to her displayed her pulse and other biometrics, none of which meant anything to Nick except that she was alive. The doctor had warned him that she had fallen into a coma, and might be that way for a while; when he had heard that, it tore him in two.

He was rolling the now empty syringe given to him by Kai in his paw; it turned out that it was, in fact, not red. It was clear, filled with a red liquid that, as time progressed, seemed to get darker and more viscous. Nick had not used it; he had instead given it to the lab technicians to identify. They told him that they would return to him with the results as soon as they were available.

Nick stood and walked to the window, looking towards the horizon; the sun had already long since set, and the glow of the city illuminated the sky. He could see mammals bustling through the streets, with some unseen destination in mind. His mind grew blank as he checked the clock. 11:09 pm. Although he was immensely tired, he dared not fall asleep. As for his meeting with the man tomorrow at 8…  
"I'm not leaving..." muttered Nick under his breath to Judy. "If he wants to talk, he'll know where to find me."

A knock on the door. In came a skunk wearing green scrubs with a clipboard in paw. The expression on his face worried Nick.  
"Mr. Wilde? The analysis you wanted came back."  
"What does it say?"  
"The sample appears to be some kind of blood, or blood substitute, we're not sure which."  
"What do you mean, not sure?"  
"Well, it shares the qualities of most bloods: it coagulates, holds oxygen, contains immune cells, et cetera. However, it hasn't coagulated much in the past two hours, and it doesn't contain any anti-coagulants. The respiration pigment appears to be some analogue of hemoglobin, and the antigen on the blood cells doesn't match any known mammalian family. The 'immune cells', if you can even call them that, act like machines on the microscopic level; we've looked at it under our scope and they don't look like cells at all. They were also extremely hard to sample, since any sampling compound we tried was neutralized by the substance. I… don't really know what to tell you other than that, Mr. Wilde."  
"Thanks."  
The technician handed him the paper and left, shutting the door behind him. The man wanted him to inject some unknown blood into Judy? What a lunatic.

Kai owed a thorough explanation when they next met.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter is so delayed, I've been really busy this past week. I've had two projects that I've needed to have working and submitted by yesterday night, tons of memos to write, etc. I haven't had time to leave my computer, so the only food I've eaten was three bags of Cool Ranch Doritos and thirty-seven small pouches of fruit snacks.**

 **Hopefully future updates will come out quicker than this. Also I'll try to get a lemon in this chapter, but this is all I've managed to get done so far.**

 **Let me know how I can improve my writing with a review.**

 **Edit: I'm keeping the old A/N because I think it's hilarious. And no, it's not a lie, I really did subsist on three bags of chips and a box of fruit snacks when I was working on programming projects for a week and a half straight.**


	8. Chapter V: Two Kinds of Talks

**Zootopia Police Department  
Precinct One**

"Mr. Bogo, I-" began Kai.  
"I can't talk right now, I'm very busy," boomed a loud voice over the phone. Music could be heard at a thunderous volume in the background. Kai recognized it as Gazelle's latest hit single, which played over the radio often.  
"I-"  
He could hear the other end of the line hang up. He held the phone aloft, as if the signal had dropped; no one had ever hung up on him before. Kane made another attempt at a laugh, but only hissed painfully.  
" _Silence,_ " Kai commanded of his prisoner; the dog immediately ceased all actions, save for twitching from muscle spasms due to pain. The man walked behind Bogo's desk and sat down; the chair was comfortable, but designed for a creature of much larger stature. He drummed his claws on the desk, leaving small pin-prick impressions where the points struck the mahogany table; he was deep in thought. Eventually, he picked up the desk phone and redialed the number.

The phone rang twice, and on the third dial, the other end picked up; the voice was gruff and demanding.  
"Who is this? How did you get into my office?" questioned Bogo.  
"I thought you were, as you put it, ' _busy_ '," muttered Kai.  
"Answer me, NOW."  
"I am sure you would know me as 'the Night Howler Killer', but that name is so gauche. It just so happened that I-"  
"YOU, AGAIN! When I get my hooves on you-"  
"You have a knack for interrupting me when I speak. I have with me Officer Kane Wilkins; a real hostage, so to speak. Interrupt me again and I shall see to it that your office will have a new work of modern art, and perhaps a pelt rug."  
"Mother-"  
"Good. Come to the office, alone. I have discovered something that perhaps you would like to hear; I also have for you a proposition."  
"We don't negotiate with terrorists."  
The man chuckled.  
"Mr. Bogo, if I wanted to be a terrorist, I could have leveled this city in fourteen seconds."  
"I doubt that."  
"A demonstration, perhaps?"  
"I'll be at the office in half an hour. Don't move."  
"Alone, Mr. Bogo. Not that it would matter to me, but I would think that the chief of police would like to avoid leading lambs to the slaughter."  
Bogo grunted with enormous disapproval before hanging up.

Kai set down the receiver gently into its cradle. Bogo appeared to him as a character with devotion to his work; his attitude, however, was something else. He sat back in his chair: closing his eyes, leaning on one arm, which in turn leaned on the armrest, his other arm drumming the table.

"Well, little dog," he spoke, "Now, we wait."

* * *

 **Fourty-Eight Minutes Later**

There was a loud pounding on the door. Kai opened his eyes and checked the time. 12:04 am, well past thirty minutes.  
"You are late," enunciated Kai loudly. The door opened and a large figure stepped in; gnarled horns, straight faced, narrowed brows, in-uniform. It was Bogo.  
Upon seeing Kane, Bogo's expression shifted to one of rage.  
"How **dare** you come into my city, kill my civilians, maim my officer, and sit behind my chair for a second time!"  
"I understand your confusion; you have perhaps, not heard about the shootout?"  
Bogo had heard of gunfire downtown, but was informed that it was gang-related violence, and was contained.  
"Gang violence, nothing more."  
Kai laughed boisterously.  
"Is that what they told you? It is, in fact, much more sinister than that."  
Bogo's eyes narrowed. He pulled up a chair and sat half-heartedly, leaning on the back and legs hanging over the side.  
"I'm listening."

"Mr. Wilkins had obtained powder-actuated firearms from the Docks district of town. On his crusade against me, he decided to interrogate Mr. Wilde; he took two other officers to the fox's apartment, all armed. When no one answered the door, he attempted to break in, and when I confronted him, they shot at me."  
"Wilkins, is this true?"  
The dog opened his mouth and squeaked pathetically.  
"Answer me, Wilkins."  
The dog whispered unintelligibly.  
"Speak up!"  
"He cannot; I tore his vocal cords out. You will need to get closer."  
Bogo looked at the man with fire in his eyes.  
"You're twisted beyond insanity."  
The man shrugged.  
After leaning in and affirming the statement with the dog, Bogo returned to the chair.  
"Go on."

"I, being the upholder of the law that I am, returned fire, but not after he had broken the door down and shot an innocent."  
"Where are the two officers he was with?"  
"They _were_ a smear against the floor. Now probably cleaned up and disposed of."  
Bogo stood up and walked to the desk, slamming his clenched fists on the table.  
"You murdered two officers, and maimed a third, all because they had guns?!"  
"It appears he is not alone in this plot. He did not know the two officers he was with; he said he was assigned them when he asked his handler for help."  
"His… handler?"  
"The one issuing his real orders. I presume that you were not the one who sent him to antagonize the fox."  
Bogo remained silent. It was true, he had tasked Kane with paperwork for the day.  
"He mentioned someone, gave me a name. A 'raccoon named Retta', who supposedly works in some upper administration. Does the name mean anything to you?"  
"We don't have raccoons working at any of our precincts."  
"Which leads me into my proposition. I am asking for your assistance in finding the facts of this case."  
"Why should I work with you? I already have capable cops. You're a serial killer, a murderer. You held up the entire station. You are the **scum** of the Earth. I should lock you up now!"  
"You may have been able to rely on a rabbit to solve your big cases in the past, but that isn't an option anymore."  
"YOU-"  
"No, not I," Kai said, before pointing to Kane. "Him. The one he shot, or rather his goon shot, through the lung is none other than your esteemed Officer Judy Hopps."  
"Is she alive?!"  
"Well, she should be, if she made it to the hospital. If she is alive, I would presume that she is in a coma. Small mammals are far too fragile."  
"This isolated incident aside, a small case of corruption is nothing compared to four injured and nine dead, excluding the officers you just killed. You're coming up to the most dangerous serial killer the city has ever faced, and I'm not about to let that become a reality."  
"I'm sure I can link this 'small case of corruption' to most crime on the streets Mr. Bogo. In addition, when you look at my record, it is a case of life versus loss."  
"How so?"

"The three injured were bystanders that I had nothing to do with, and are wrongly attributed to me. However, the first one dead nearly killed another with a knife; I stopped a murder in progress. Second dead was a serial arsonist. Third and fourth dead killed two each, now that I have access to your files. The fifth dead stabbed someone in an ally. That's another barely saved. Sixth and Seventh were his gang members. Eighth was about to rape someone in an alley. The ninth dead was Mr. Badgerly, and if I had to guess, six kits that he had trapped in his basement will survive. The-"  
"Your vigilantism cannot be tolerated. They'll give you the death sentence."  
"'They' will have to catch me first. That brings me back to my proposition. What is your answer?"  
Bogo thought for a minute. The only sound in the room was the drumming of Kai's fingers, and some slight scuffling from Kane.  
"What's in it for me if I say yes?"  
"You eliminate most crime when we solve the case."  
"And for you?"  
"Do not mistake my intentions, this is merely the means to a greater end. I have lost everything, waited a very long time in the dark depths of oblivion, only to be presented a second chance. I will not let the world fall before I can fulfill my plans."  
"Plans?"  
"It should not be your primary concern. We will deal with this case, and then we can part ways."  
Bogo considered the proposition carefully for several minutes.

"Alright. I will accept, on **three conditions**."  
"Conditions?" asked Kai, clearly amused.  
"The first: no killing."  
"Very well, I shall avoid it whenever I can. Continue."  
"The second: you stop your vigilantism.  
Kai laughed.  
"Crime is down 14%. I thought I was doing good for the city."  
"Mammals are afraid to leave their homes!"  
The man sighed.  
"Very well. I will give you one week to show how well you can do without my help. If the situation deteriorates, I will resume my 'vigilantism'. Without killing, of course."  
"I don't expect this 'partnership' to last that long. The third condition: you follow orders."  
"I am no petty subordinate. I have more experience than years you or anyone outside that door have been alive, put together."

Bogo froze.  
"Yes, Mr. Bogo. I know about the squad you brought; I can see their heat signature through the wall. You really should insulate your walls with more than fiberboard, it's the same thing that gave away your SWAT team the last time I was here. I also know about the three snipers you have on the rooftops surrounding the building, as well as the SWAT van parked inconspicuously out front."  
"How?"  
"I can hear your radio chatter. You do not use encryption, and even if you did, it would be a cinch to break into. Now, the third condition. I am a lone wolf, but I make exceptions. I will share information with you, we can coordinate together, but I expect a squad of my choosing to have sole command of."  
Now Bogo laughed.  
"Why would I agree to demands like that? I could just take you in now, and this shitshow would be over instantly."  
"Now that is the question Mr. Bogo. Can you take me in?"

Bogo immediately swung his fist towards the man behind the desk. The fist connected straight with the man's face, and although the chair the man was sitting in wheeled back two feet, Bogo's fist was nearly broken; it was as if he had punched a metal wall. The man cracked his neck, before chuckling slightly.  
"That hurt, Mr. Bogo. Next time, I think I might avoid your next attack."  
Bogo swung his other fist, but the man rotated the chair such that Bogo hit the side of the frame. He stood from the chair and kicked the desk forward. Bogo managed to stop the desk from pushing him into the wall, but the desk had scratched the floor noticeably. Kai had taken a fighting stance; it looked off balance to Bogo, arms outstretched at odd angles, legs bowed, claws extended and apart. Bogo threw the desk at him before going for a low kick in an attempt to exploit his stance. Kai ducked under the desk, which crashed into the wall next to the window, and slid to the right of Bogo's leg, jabbing just above the knee before elbowing Bogo in the gut and kicking high towards his head. The buffalo barely managed to avoid tanking the blow with his jaw, but it had sheared the tip of one of his horns off. Enraged, Bogo went for a left hook; his opponent grabbed his arm and threw him onto the floor. Bogo aimed a prone kick at the man, but the man was unfazed. Bogo was pinned, his neck constricted between the man's forearm and the floorboards, his arm caught beneath the man's shin.  
"Yield."  
Bogo grunted, and the man stood to sit back in the chair.

"Now, the terms of our agreement. I get a squad."  
"Split authority," Bogo said, standing up and brushing himself off. Kai was impressed; most opponents would be unable to stand after an attack like his, but Bogo shook it off.  
"Very well. I give you a day to make preparations. I will come to train my squad then."  
"Train?"  
"You cannot expect me to take undisciplined, unskilled warriors under my command, can you?"  
Bogo groaned in displeasure.  
"And how exactly do you plan on getting out? If they see you they certainly won't let you back into the station."  
"I am a master of disguise Mr. Bogo, as well as of espionage. I will manage to escape. Tell no one of our arrangement; expect a wolf to show up the day after."  
"That's not very descriptive, 'master of disguise'. You don't even look like a wolf."  
"I'll manage."  
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a canister and a white autoinjector. He pulled the pin on the canister and dropped it on the floor.  
"Hold your breath, Mr. Bogo. The smoke is not toxic, but it is unpleasant."

The canister exploded into a large plume of smoke; the room was instantly obscured with darkness. Kai stuck the needle into Kane's neck before opening the window and leaping out; the dog was a loose end that needed tying up, and leaving him alive would cause problems for everyone. As expected, the snipers began to shoot at him; the tranquilizer darts would not do much, but he didn't want to be tracked. He pulled a second canister and threw it into the air; a blinding flash of light encompassed the street, accompanied by a loud bang. If the snipers used thermal scopes, then they would be blind for several minutes at least. Even if they did not, the seconds he had bought would still be enough. He sprinted off into the night, making for the Nocturnal District. He had to acquire some items before his next meeting with the fox, and he only had about seven hours.

* * *

 **Zootopia Central Hospital  
** **8:30 AM**

Nick was awoken by a loud knock on the door. A calming rain hammered hard on the window. He checked his watch: 8:30 am. It seemed unlikely that the man would be so late.  
"Come in." he announced weakly.  
The door opened. In stepped a wolf wearing a large coat; in his paw, a parcel. The wolf's fur was the color of ash, with a white underbelly; his free arm was hung in the pocket of his coat, which Nick noticed was dripping water onto the floor. Although his face was slightly obscured by his hood, Nick could see that one eye was the color of emerald, like his, but the other was an icy blue. The green eye shimmered noticeably.

"Who are you?" asked Nick, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't slept well, since he had received multiple calls throughout the night asking if Judy was okay: several officers, including Clawhauser and Bogo had sent their best regards, as well as some of Judy's acquaintances. He had thought about calling her parents, but decided against it; they didn't need more stress in their lives.  
"I thought you knew everyone in the city, Mr. Wilde," answered the wolf gruffly, lowering his hood. Nick could now notice that the wolf had cropped ears. He definitely didn't know this stranger.  
"You're not from the city, are you?"  
"Astute observation. Perhaps..." the wolf reached into his coat before pulling out a mask; it resembled a skull that Nick had seen before with cat-like eyes which, although unlit, were recognizable. "...this, will jog your memory?"  
"You're… a wolf? You have a lot of nerve coming back here. You owe me an explanation. Speak," commanded Nick.  
The wolf sighed, replacing the mask in his coat.  
"Perhaps I do. Very well, walk with me."  
"I'm not leaving her."  
"What good will come of it if you stay? She is in a coma."  
"You can fix it."  
"I might be able to. I am, after all, a 'space wizard', as you so delicately put it. However, premature awakening from a coma can have unexpected side effects."  
"Like what?"  
"I can almost guarantee you that, should I wake her up now, the rabbit that you shall see will not be the one that fell asleep."  
Nick paused, glancing over at Judy. He desperately wanted her awake, some sign that she was alive other than the constant beeping of the machines, but he couldn't risk losing her.  
"You know, Mr. Wilde, she looks very peaceful. I used to know a mercenary that retired to live a farm life and, I do say, I have not seen a rabbit so cute in ages."  
" **Don't** call her cute," angrily warned Nick.  
"I can call her anything I want. Being a man, I have the precarious position of being the apex predator of every food chain; we dominated life since before you were born, before your father was born, or his father before him. It is my birthright… was, at any rate, to rule the world; I still intend to. Now, walk with me?" the wolf motioned towards the door.

After a minute of staring out the window at the raindrops splattering against the glass, Nick grunted in agreement. The pair set off; as they got to the entrance of the hospital, Nick stopped.  
"Forget something, Mr. Wilde?" asked the wolf.  
"It's raining. You got an umbrella?"  
"Only water, Mr. Wilde." Nick was going to regret going into the rain; water had a way of getting so deep into his fur that he could feel wet for hours after getting under a roof.  
They began walking briskly through the rain, the torrential downpour thoroughly soaking anything unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. The route they took was difficult to discern due to the low visibility, but Nick recognized it as the way to Central Park.  
"We're going to the park? Are you mad?!" Nick shouted over the roar of the storm. The wolf stayed silent. He groaned audibly. The pair nearly reached the park, but pulled a sharp left into a building. Nick was relieved to finally be in some semblance of dryness after nearly fifteen minutes of walking through a wall of water. He looked at the wolf; despite the fact that his hood was down during the downpour and his coat was dripping water, his fur was pristine and dry, and the parcel he was carrying had somehow avoided getting so much as a drop on it.  
In his confusion, Nick almost didn't recognize they had reached his apartment complex.  
"Why are we here? Couldn't we have taken a taxi?" asked Nick, disappointed in the wolf's method of navigation.  
"You wanted an explanation, and so I took you to the privacy of your home."  
"Why? Why couldn't you say what you had to back in the hospital?"  
"First, I thought you might like to enjoy a meal. It is customary for people to treat each other to food when they talk. Second, the walls have ears, Mr. Wilde; eavesdroppers are at every corner." They arrived at his door; Nick began fishing for his key, but the wolf took a lockpick from his coat and had the door unlocked before the key could be found.  
"You can do that one handed?" Nick asked, astonished.  
"But one of my many skills, Mr. Wilde," was the reply.

They entered his home and closed the door behind them. The wolf removed the mask from his coat and hung the coat to dry; underneath, he was wearing semi-formal attire, unusual for the killer. He placed the parcel along with the mask on the nearby countertop. From it, he took a foil-wrapped bar.  
"Chocolate?" he offered, holding the bar outstretched towards Nick.  
"You're… serious? That's poison, I don't know who even sold you that," Nick protested, disgusted.  
"Suit yourself," replied the wolf, unwrapping the foil and taking a bite out of the bar.  
"What the fuck?" mustered Nick, before shaking his head.  
"Alright Mr. Wilde, what do foxes eat?" asked the wolf, finishing the bar. "All I have in my records is that your species eats chicken and rabbit, among fruits and berries."  
"Eugh," grunted Nick in disgust. Chicken, maybe. Rabbit? This wolf was insane. "What's in the box?"  
"Various foods, as well as a gift. Would you perhaps consider salmon?"  
"I'll have what you're having," said Nick, before quickly adding, "but **not** rabbit."  
"Are you sure? I was going to cook myself a fillet mignon."  
"A what?" asked Nick cautiously.  
"A soft cut of cow taken from the end of the tender-"  
"COW?!" Nick thought the wolf was joking. Was he actually three feet from a cannibal?  
"Is that a problem?"  
"It's fucking cannibalism, that's what it is! You're not cooking that in my kitchen!"  
"It is only cannibalism if I eat **my own** species, Mr. Wilde."  
"What if I wanted to cook wolf and eat it, what then?"  
"I am a man, it matters not to me."  
"You keep throwing that word around, man this, man that. What the hell is a man anyways? Some sick cult that takes pleasure from killing other mammals?"  
The wolf sighed.  
"Fish it is," he simply stated, removing a cut of salmon from the package. "I bought blueberries, help yourself."  
"Stop dodging the-" Nick's stomach rumbled painfully at the mention of blueberries; he had not eaten since yesterday, before Judy was shot. He grabbed at his stomach and eventually digressed. "Alright, we'll eat, then you'd better talk."

* * *

Soon, the apartment filled with the smell of freshly cooked fish. The wolf had set a pot of water to boil, before pulling a box of dried leaves from the parcel.  
"Drugs?" Sarcastically quipped Nick.  
"Tea."  
"Why not coffee?"  
The wolf laughed.

Eventually, the meal was ready; they sat at the table to eat, blueberries nearly gone. The wolf only sat while the fox ate; after what seemed like an eternity, Nick finally spoke.  
"Alright, I've waited long enough. You owe me some answers."  
"I came to you out of the goodness of my heart," said the wolf, taking mock offense. "Very well. Ask what you will of me."  
"First, why are you killing innocent mammals?"  
"I am not killing innocent mammals, merely purging the guilty ones. I have only killed in self defense, or in the defense of others. Every dead soul thus far has attacked with the intent to kill, so I retaliated in kind."  
"But why so cruelly? It's downright evil. You don't owe anything to the city, and no one needs your vigilante justice."  
"Evil is a point of view, Mr. Wilde. You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist; I am not cruel either, it is merely in my nature. Besides, I have said it before, and I will say it again: I am helping in whatever way I can. My world had been devastated, and I am the last of my kind. I will not allow the same fate to befall this new world; I still have plans, and the world ending would interfere with them."  
"Devastated?" The mention of plans disconcerted Nick, but he was more interested in the word that caught his ear. "How? Explain what you mean by 'last of your kind'."  
"Where to begin… There was once an emperor who had the misfortune of facing the first use of such weapons: 'The enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should We continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization'. He was right to surrender the war unconditionally, but it did not matter in the end. The total extinction of human civilization is precisely what ended up happening, Mr. Wilde, albeit it took about 300 years."  
"Japanese nation?"  
"A country that once existed to the far east of our current location. It was once a kingdom of warring states, before becoming an empire, and eventually a nation."

"How bad were these bombs, that he would surrender unconditionally?"  
"Two were dropped over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The instant effects were that 129,000 were obliterated, mostly civilians with some military targets; the long term effects lasted for decades."  
"129,000 doesn't seem like much. Two bombs, sure, but that isn't a very populated city."  
"Humans do not breed like rodents, Mr. Wilde. We take roughly twenty years to reach maturity, and can only produce one or two offspring every nine months at most; such a rate would probably kill most females. Realistically, most families consist of one to three children, usually just one. 129,000 is an enormous sum of gratuitous death. As for the bombs, they were merely prototypes, single blast with an equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT. As the years numbered on, they only became more deadly."  
"Prototypes? How strong did they get?"  
"We mounted them on inter-continental ballistic missiles, rockets that could reach anywhere in the world in hours. We fitted them with MIRV warheads, multiple independent re-entry vehicles, such that one rocket could store thirty seperate warheads. Each one can target a different city, carrying 60 million tons equivalent. The destruction of Japan pales in comparison."

"The bombs, how did they work?"  
"I will not divulge the secrets behind their inner workings, but I will tell you how they kill. Suppose a single 60 megaton warhead came our way. It would, no doubt, level Zootopia and the surrounding areas in seconds. If we were within one and a half miles, the nuclear fireball would engulf us. 300 million degrees of hellfire, turning us to dust. A little over four miles away, and the gamma radiation would kill us nearly instantaneously if we were in the line of sight. Ignoring the thermal radiation, our bodies would cease to function from the ionizing effects. The blast wave would strike within six and a half miles. High overpressure would ensure that even the most fortified of buildings are reduced to rubble. If you were out in the open and managed to avoid the radiation, your organs would rupture and you would vomit your insides out before dying horribly."  
Nick gagged slightly, but the wolf continued.  
"Within seventeen and a half miles, the blast wave would level some sturdy structures. You would be swept from your feet and experience internal bleeding. Lastly, within forty miles, should you be exposed to it, the thermal radiation would conflagrate your flesh and incinerate you in an instant. Within a hundred miles, the radioactive fallout would immediately begin to fall, and would spread much farther after that. Inhaling or even coming into contact with it would most likely kill you, or give you cancer. You would die an agonizing death from radiation poisoning over the course of several days to two weeks, and it is mostly incurable. And all that, Mr. Wilde, was a single warhead. There are still twenty-nine others to consider, but at that point, it would no longer matter to us."

Nick shuddered. He would need to choose his questions more carefully next time.  
"How did the world end?"  
"My boss had ambitions to rule the world. He sent one of my comrades to assassinate the president of the Eastern United Republic, a nation that stood in his way. As a result, missiles were let loose across the world. Over fourteen billion dead in a unified flash of light."  
"Your boss?"  
"An uninteresting man, long since dead."  
A pause; an unsatisfying answer, but it was clear the man would say no more.

"If the world ended, how are we here now?"  
"Perhaps a stroke of luck; we created intelligent animals. The fact that you can speak, think, talk, or dream can all be attributed to genetic experiments. Someone decided it would be fun to set all animals in the laboratory free, and thus... As it so happens, humans need much more food than animals do, and during a nuclear winter, platters of food do not grow on trees; with no hunting or gathering experience or instincts, humans would naturally die off. I would also guess that you and your ancestors were more resistant to radiation than we were."  
Nick paused to try to comprehend what was being told to him, but eventually gave up and moved on to the next question.  
"What is a man?"  
"First, I should explain that I am not a wolf." The creature lifted his mask; as he moved it towards his face, it clipped his snout which dematerialized into smoke. When the mask was fully seated on his head, the creature's fur, tail, and ears began to melt like a dense dark cloud off of his body. Eventually, the man's true form was revealed; he was wearing tactical gear, as he had when Nick met him at Lion's Gate. Gauntlets were on the ends of his arms, ending in sharp claws; he wore long dark clothing and strike plates on his body. Boots were strapped onto the ends of his legs, and his neck was covered by the shirt he wore. Not a single inch of flesh was exposed.  
"What… the hell?" asked Nick, jaw dropped to the floor.

"I am a master of disguise and espionage, Mr. Wilde. I am surprised you did not anticipate this turn of events."  
Nick merely chuckled.  
"Man is unlike any other animal, Mr. Wilde. We were not born with claws or fangs, so we forged them from steel." The man removed his gauntlets, setting them on the table. His fingers were thin and wiry, and bare; as the man had assured, there were no claws to speak of.  
"We were not born with fur, so we borrowed from nature, weaving our own fabrics and taking furs from others." The man rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, showcasing his bare flesh. Nick's eyes widened, his brow raised in amazement.  
"We had only our wits about us, and we used that to forge an empire that lasted for six thousand years." The man reached up and pulled his mask off; beneath, Nick first saw a flat face; he had no snout, no fangs, and his nose was but a small protrusion from the flatness. He had iridescent emerald eyes, like the one eye that the wolf had. His hair was short and ashen as the wolf's fur had been.

"You look like a… bald sloth..." slowly muttered Nick. The man laughed. "Are you an… average looking man?"  
"I always thought I looked fabulous, but no. Men come with all varieties of hair, eye color, and skin color. My hair is grayed because I am old." The man ran his thin fingers through his hair, ruffling it slightly. "Green eyes are exceedingly rare of the population as well, and mine have been altered."  
The man's voice was disconcertingly smooth, and he spoke as if they were friends for years. Nick began to wonder if it was another trick, or if it was what he truly sounded like.  
"Altered?"

"I was not a live birth. None of the supposedly 'immortal' humans were. We were genetically engineered from the DNA that was deemed most superior. We were subject to the harshest training, with a casualty rate of 73%-"  
"73?!" Nick's eyes shot open.  
"Most died in the initial stages. Of those that remained, the final task was, essentially, to duel another to the death. My master invested all of his time and effort into only a handful of us, and I was among them: my bones are mostly titanium and my organs are bio-reinforced, which is why I can fall from skyscrapers and still make a graceful landing."

Nick was baffled. Everything the man told him was as foreign as it got, and it only got stranger the more he asked. Now that he was unmasked, the man ate quickly before resuming his discussion; question after question came, and the man answered diligently.

* * *

Eventually, Nick thought of Judy, and asked the one question that he thought he could relate to.  
"Is there anyone you love?"  
"I don't love, but everyone I care about is dead."  
"You could find someone here, in Zootopia, anyone can be any-"  
"It would never work."  
"Hey, if a fox can love a rabbit, then-"  
"It's not the same, Nick." Nick blinked. The man had never referred to him as Nick before. "At one point or another in the 2617 years I have been alive, nearly every animal in the city has had some relative of theirs end up on my dinner plate. That, and the fact that I am a remnant from days long gone, mean that petty things like love are far behind me."

"You could always-"  
The man burst out laughing. "You don't understand, I doubt you ever will. I am the last of my kind, I will never see another face like mine, never have another soul to confide in. I will never be able to love another human, nor will I ever be able to see the face of a child, hear it laugh, hear it cry, watch it grow..."  
The man's gaze shifted past Nick, deep in thought; he began to stare off into the distance. His expression turned solemn. Nick thought he could see the ghosts of tears etch their way down his cheeks; there were no real tears, but Nick could feel the despondency seeping from him. He never thought he could sympathize with a serial killer, let alone one that almost got Judy killed twice; yet, here he was face-to-face with the last living man, and all he could feel was vicarious sadness. The man finally spoke.

"Not that it would matter. I was made to feel no guilt, no remorse, no emotional attachment other than camaraderie. Whether or not they did a good job at that is beyond my discretion to say."  
Nick paused for a minute, carefully contemplating his question.  
"Is that why you're so savage?"  
"All is fair in love and war."

 _War._ That was the second time Kai had mentioned it. Nick had first heard the term a long time ago, but could never recall learning about any wars in mammal history. He felt he would deeply regret his next question, but he was very curious.  
"I know what war is, but-"  
"I doubt it," coldly interrupted the man.  
"War is when two sides fight over a dispute."  
The man cackled madly.  
"Is that what you believe war is? No, true war isn't about petty quarrels, it's about ideologies. We do not fight over land, or for freedom. Our cruelest wars are ones of extermination and attrition, wars fought for the sake of war, to eliminate everyone else because they are not you."

"How? Why?" questioned Nick, immediately regretting the words that escaped his lips.  
"Perhaps it is in our nature, it is difficult to explain. War is seeing napalm shells explode in the faces of your friends, watching them melt in the flames, but pressing on because your nation demands victory above all else. War is razing a city to the ground, slaughtering every inhabitant, committing mass genocide, merely because they were deemed unworthy of living by your superior officer; it is gassing millions with cyanide for a fight on eugenics, one that can never be won by conventional means. War, Mr. Wilde, is torturing children for information that you know they do not have, because your commander ordered you to; pouring acid over them, gouging eyes, amputating limbs, there is no limit to what a man will do to get what he wants. Mankind invented diseases specifically to eliminate itself, exploited physics to create weapons that could collapse the world. War is about who can commit the most atrocities before they either win, or get obliterated. We invented laws to dictate who can fight and how, and for what purposes, but in the end, we all ignored the rules and fought to win by any means necessary. I can tell you now, there is no winning a global war. War is hell, Nick, but it's what humans do best."  
The man bore a wide grin, and his eyes seemed to stare directly into Nick's soul.  
"What you saw behind Badgerly's steel door was nothing compared to the depravity of man. Perhaps that is why I am so cold and calculating. I miss war more than nearly anything. There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never care for anything else thereafter."  
"Y—You're insane..."  
"I know."  
A small pause while the man drank, before Nick asked another uncertain question.

"What did you mean, no winning a global war? Surely someone has to win?" Nick was stammering now; his head filled with images of horror that the man described, as well as of what he saw behind the door; they melded into an amalgamation that he desperately tried to clear from his mind.  
"War does not determine who is right—merely who is left. After a war, if there's no one left to be right, then what does it matter if you've won?"

"Oh, before I forget…" The man got up and went to get the parcel, bringing it back with him to the table. He reached inside, pulling out various uneaten items of food, setting them aside; finally he pulled out a smaller box, ornate and intricately carved. He eyed it carefully before handing it to the fox. Nick opened it to inspect the object inside. It was a small brooch, slightly larger than his police badge, and was extremely heavy, as if it was a solid piece of metal denser than lead; it was plain and shiny, and with the exception of a clip on the back, no distinguishing features.  
"What's this?"  
"The gift I promised; it was my master's once. I figured that with you and your rabbit being fragile, you would make better use of it than him."  
"Yeah, but what is it?"  
"A deflector badge. Five gigawatt-hours of charge, enough to deflect a single mass driver round or, more sensibly, about six million rifle rounds."  
Nick eyed it suspiciously.  
"This thing… this tiny thing… can deflect six million rifle rounds? How does it even..?"  
"When it detects a change in magnetic flux, it runs a current to create a magnetic field to change the direction of the projectile. It doesn't vaporize the bullets, only deflect them, so be careful of bystanders if you plan on getting shot at. It also might deflect a bullet headed for your chest downward into your legs, or to the side into your shoulder, so it isn't the most reliable. It also most likely leaked about three-fourths of its charge, or maybe more."  
"So you're giving me a future tech piece of shit?"  
"A future tech piece of shit that would have saved the rabbit had she worn it."  
Guilt washed over Nick at the mention of Judy; why didn't he do anything when they kicked the door in?

He took the brooch and placed it into his pocket. The man glanced at the clock, eyes widening.  
"Man, time flies fast, I've been here more than twelve hours! Now that that's done and done, I need to get going. I made a deal with Mr. Bogo; he owes me a squad of troops."  
"What? You made a deal with Chief Bogo?! You, of all… Actually, never mind. I'm not sure I want to know."  
"It's only temporary. Merely one pawn to eliminate another."  
The man put his mask and gauntlets on, donned his coat, and bade Nick farewell from over his shoulder. Everything would have been alright, had it not been for the last few words:

 _Merely one pawn to eliminate another._

Nick couldn't stop thinking about what those words meant, from the time Kai left to the time he went to bed. Whose side was the man on, anyways?

* * *

 **A/N:** **If you are big into philosophy, or perhaps enjoy literature and quotes, you'll recognize that Kai quotes several people: Plutarch, Hirohito, Nietzsche, Hemmingway, and some others that I can't remember off the top of my head. This will probably be the last time I use that much exposition or extensively quote like that, but given the nature of their dialogue, I felt it would make for a better storytelling experience.**

 **You can leave me reviews to let me know how I'm doing.** **You can also message me, but it might take me a day or two to get back to you.**

 **Edit: I did a bit more text editing here; I got rid of two typos, formatted the paragraphs, and made the plot a little more cohesive.**


	9. Chapter VI: A Diplomatic Visit

**The Next Day  
7 AM**

Bogo was sitting in his now demolished office; he had come across several wolves in the lobby, but dared not approach them for fear of mistaken identity. He really wished that the cloaked figure had given him a better description.

He couldn't stop running his hoof along his horn; after their encounter two days ago, he was mocked by the other officers. Although he was their superior, he knew he made an error when he told his squad to stay outside the door no matter the circumstance; they knew it as well, and his sheared horn was his constant reminder.

A knock on the door prompted him to sit at attention.  
"Come in."

In walked a uniformed leopardess, folder in paw.

"Leora, something to report?" asked Bogo. She was the only one he had told about the events two days ago, despite the figure's warning not to disclose the events. He knew he could trust her.  
"Chief, the file you asked for; it took us a lot of digging, but we found it."  
"Let's have it."  
The leopardess opened the folder up, reading its contents aloud.  
"Retta Hummel, raccoon, last known residence: 446 Sokol Lane. Charged with petty larceny four years ago, served one year probation."  
"Any known criminal affiliations?"  
"Says here… an Edward Appleby, badger, currently vagrant. Frequents the Meadowlands bar owned by Voss Padoy."  
Bogo slammed his desk.  
"Something wrong, sir?"  
"Voss is dead, killed by the 'Night Howler Killer', and these records are years old. We'll never find Appleby and there's no way in hell that this Retta is still there, not if what we've heard is true. Leave the folder here, dismissed."  
The leopardess handed him the folder, saluted, and exited. Bogo held his head in his hooves; his leads were nearly cold, and he had almost nothing else to go on. Kane fell into a coma after the events two days ago, and any attempts to awaken him failed.

Suddenly, Bogo's door was thrown open; it was Officer Leora again.  
"S-sir!" She began, voice wavering.  
"What's wrong?!"  
"Mayor Lionheart, with that ambassador! They're paying a surprise visit to the precinct, Mayor said that the ambassador wanted a full tour and to see the officers."  
"Shit! Why now!"  
Bogo left to stand on the balcony; he overheard Mayor Lionheart speak:  
"… I need to be off now, so I expect you all to take good care of our foreign dignitary. Do everything he asks of you, as I would like for our esteemed police force to appear amicable."  
As Lionheart walked out the door, Bogo saw a shrouded figure walk in.  
"Fuck." Bogo said quietly. "Take the ambassador to the back, I'll greet our 'guest'."

"Right away sir!" Leora replied, before the pair of them ran down the hallway towards the stairs; they arrived precisely at the moment that the figure came to the desk, next to the ambassador. Bogo directed the cloaked stranger towards the middle of the atrium, away from the ambassador.  
"Quite a precinct you have here. I was told you could show me around," stated the wolf in blue and gold trimmed uniform, paw resting on the sword at his side.  
"Of course, ambassador!" replied Leora, motioning with her paw towards the hall behind the desk.  
"Actually, before we head off, might I speak with the chief?"  
She looked at Bogo; he stared back at her, shaking his head ever so slightly.  
"I… I'm sorry, sir. It appears that the chief is preoccupied right now."  
"Oh?" A look of disappointment slowly spread across the dignitary's face. She couldn't bear to look at his face, instead looking towards the shrouded figure. She could see a dark gray snout protruding from the darkness of its hood, rain dripping from his coat; it was conversing quietly with Bogo.  
"Something interesting?" asked the dignitary.  
"Could you excuse me for a moment? I need to verify something very quickly."  
"By all means."

Leora walked to Bogo and stood quietly for him to finish his conversation. After a couple of minutes, the figure lowered its hood to reveal a female face; her eyes were a murky amber, her fur dark gray on black. An emotion halfway between being confused and being insulted was plastered on her face. She spoke sternly to Bogo:  
"What do you mean by 'sir'? I came here to speak with Detective Hound!"  
"Err," began Bogo uncertainly, "Have you been here before?"  
"Only a week ago! And here the chief of police insults me to my face!"  
She snarled and walked down the hall towards Hound's office. Leora broke the awkward silence.

"Uhm, Chief? The ambassador wants to talk to you."  
"Turns out it was just some civilian. Very well, where is he?"  
"Standing by the desk, sir."  
Bogo turned his head; the ambassador was pacing about the atrium, inspecting the domed architecture of the ceiling. He had a peculiar way of strutting, and upon closer inspection, Bogo realized he had only a cropped tail to maintain his balance.  
"Ambassador, you wished to speak with me?"  
The wolf nodded before strutting regally to Bogo; he exuded an aura of magnificence, such that even Bogo was reluctant to look him in the eyes.  
"Chief, I wish for you to assemble the five finest officers from every precinct here by the time my tour is complete. I was told that you commanded the best police force in the nation, and I would like to judge for myself the validity of that claim."  
"I'm not sure I can do that, crime doesn't stop in the middle of the day and even if it did it could take hours for-"  
"The mayor told me that you could do anything. Was he mistaken?"  
The wolf stared Bogo down, despite the fact that he was a couple of feet shorter; Bogo noticed then that he had an eyepatch on his left eye, which added to the menacing appearance.  
"… No. I'll have them here in two hours. By what metric should I define 'best' when I pick officers?"  
"Use your judgment. I presume you will showcase better decision-making skills than when you lost your horn?"  
"How did you-"  
"Knowledge spreads like wildfire."  
Bogo narrowed his eyes, trying to find who would tell the foreigner of his embarrassment.

"Very well, are we ready for a tour?"  
"Officer Leora here will take you through the precinct." Bogo stated, before walking away.  
"Will you not accompany me?" shouted the official after him.  
"I am expecting someone."  
The official shrugged, and Leora led him away.  
As Bogo sat back in his office, he closed his eyes and massaged his temples.  
"I don't know why I trusted a killer with something as simple as showing up," he muttered, before picking up the phone. He had to somehow recall over one hundred officers in the next two hours to satisfy a stuck-up foreigner.

* * *

Leora was walking beside the ambassador down the hallway; she was trying to think about the best way to keep the wolf busy for the next two hours without showing how much her coworkers actually slacked off. She glanced quickly at his face to get a better idea of whom she was leading around. She saw his icy gaze staring back at her.  
"Looking for something, Leora?" he spoke gruffly.  
She immediately turned back to face forward.  
"No, sir."  
The wolf chuckled slightly, before addressing her again.  
"How long have you been working here? It seems Bogo holds you in high regards."  
"About three years, sir."  
"Now tell me, what do you think of Bogo, honestly?"  
"He's a good chief," she stated simply.  
"I would be inclined to believe you, but I do not take him for a smart mammal."  
"Sir?"  
"He was expecting a wolf, and yet he lets one walk away right under his snout."  
Leora paused and stared him in the face, brow raised in suspicion.  
"How did you know he was expecting a **wolf**?" she questioned.  
"I instructed him to expect a wolf," the dignitary spoke, before bearing a sinister grin. He motioned down the hallway. "Shall we resume?"  
An expression of shock grew on her face, but she continued to walk alongside the dignitary.  
"Judging by your expression, Leora, he told you of the events two days ago?"  
"I never thought you would be an ambassador."  
"If you do not expect the unexpected..." He trailed off.  
The pair walked in silence until they turned into a room of cubicles.  
"Here's where everyone gets desk-work done. Break room is around the corner." Leora began to walk away, before the dignitary interrupted her getaway.  
"Take me to the break room."  
"Sir, I was instructed to-"  
"To do everything I asked, were you not?"  
Leora sighed.  
"Alright, follow me."

As they walked through the office area, they garnered stares from every direction, some officers standing up or even following the pair to get a better look. They were stopped by a uniformed bear, who blocked the dignitary's path.  
"You can't have weapons here, sir," he said loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.  
The dignitary looked to Leora, giving her an 'are you serious' gaze. Leora motioned with her paw quickly beside her neck, the universal gesture for 'shut up and get out of his way'. The bear ignored her.  
"Sir, if you don't relinquish your sword, I'm going to have to use force."  
"Begone, peasant. I have no time for games."  
The bear put his large paw on the wolf's shoulder.  
"You ha-" began the bear.  
"Leora, tell this miscreant to remove his paw from my shoulder before I remove him through the window."  
"THAT'S IT,-" began the bear, before Leora interrupted him.  
"Winston, do what he says, please."  
"Who does this mammal think he is? Civilians aren't allowed to be back here, especially not armed."  
"Remember that ambassador that came to the city a couple of days ago?"  
The bear quickly removed his paw from the wolf's shoulder and took several steps back.  
"I'm so sorry! I wasn't informed that you would be visiting!" spoke the bear, before absconding around the corner.  
Leora turned to the wolf.  
"See why I didn't want to take you?"  
"This is precisely why I wanted to come."  
"You're killing me, ambassador."

As they continued their journey to the break room, the attention they gathered in the form of officers following them quickly grew to the point where there were only two mammals in the entire room that weren't trailing them. When they finally reached it, the ambassador took note of how extravagant it was. The several mammals inside that were drinking coffee stopped to stare at him.  
"This is the break room, sir."  
"It looks lavish. Perhaps too lavish."  
Someone from behind him piped up.  
"Probably better than what you have back home."  
Several laughs in the room erupted.  
The wolf turned around, gaze piercing through everyone in an attempt to discern who spoke.  
"Who said that?"  
The crowd parted slightly but no one owned up.  
"That's what I thought. You'd best hope I don't find out."  
"Or what?"  
This time the wolf sprinted through the parted crowd until he grabbed the offender by the lapel, lifting him off of the floor slightly. Officers around him drew their tranquilizers, pointing them at him.  
The offender, a small ram, laughed.  
"You won't get far if you try anything."  
"A lamb, on the police force? I'm amazed they let you within forty feet of this building, especially after Bellwether disgraced every sheep in the city."  
The ram attempted to punched him in the stomach, but winced when he hit a hard plate.  
"Leora, recite for me the laws of diplomatic immunity," spoke the wolf.  
"Erm… I can't quite remember them, I'll need to consult the book. We haven't had diplomats in at least a decade."  
"Get the book."  
Leora ran to a shelf adorning her cubicle, and ran her paw across the spines of the books until she came across one titled 'Common Law'. She flipped it open and leafed through, until speaking.  
"At no time may a diplomat or their immediate family be arrested or detained for any cause; they shall not surrender their property or residence to any authority for search or seizure; they may not be subpoenaed as a witness, nor be prosecuted for any crime."  
As Leora spoke these words, the ram's face instantly went blank. The ambassador crooned to the ram.  
"You know what my favorite part of those laws are, insolent lamb?"  
The ram scowled, but remained silent. The wolf leaned in towards his ear and spoke softly.  
"The part where I get to eviscerate you without repercussions."

The wolf laughed innocently and threw the ram to the floor, before strutting back to Leora's side.  
"I jest. However, you had best remember your place, lamb," he spoke loudly, before walking away with Leora.  
"Now wait just a minute!" the ram yelled after him.  
The ambassador paused and slowly rotated his head to gaze in the direction of the ram.  
"Come to disgrace your species further?" taunted the ambassador.  
"I'm sick of you walking around like you own the joint, I think someone needs to put you in your place."  
Officers around the ram covered their faces and shook their heads; some attempted to stop him, but the ambassador raised his paw to stop them.  
"Leora, hold my sword," spoke the ambassador to his guide, removing the sheath from his belt and handing it to the leopardess. "You will not dare strike me under penalty of death," he yelled.  
"Don't hurt him too bad," whispered Leora.  
"I'll make quick work of him," promised the wolf, before turning his attention to the slowly approaching threat.  
"What's the matter, whelp? Need Officer Leora to fight for you?" sneered the ram.  
"Do you know what true pain is, lamb?"  
"What I'm about to give to you?"

They stood for nearly a minute, staring at each other. Officers from around the room stared in awe, several pleading with the ram not to injure the ambassador; only Leora wasn't afraid for his well-being, instead praying he wouldn't kill the ram.

The ram went for a headbutt; the wolf grabbed his horns and, using the ram's momentum, brought the ram's face down towards his knee. The ram staggered back, surprised that the ambassador could have seen the attack coming; he ran forward, swinging his clenched hoof. The wolf dodged to the right and slapped the ram in the back of the head, knocking him to his knees.  
"Stay down if you know what's good for you," spoke the wolf, taking a fighting stance. The ram went for a sweeping kick, and the wolf stepped backwards. The ram quickly got up and took a boxer's stance, before attacking him by throwing a kick towards his ribs; he grabbed the ram's leg and punched just above the knee, before swinging him around and throwing him to the floor. The ram tried to stand up, but could not support himself on his right leg, resorting to hobbling on his left. The ram threw a wanton right hook; the wolf grabbed his closed hoof with his left paw, and with the other, jabbed swiftly near the ram's collarbone.  
"You are caught," the wolf stated, while waving the ram's arm loosely. "Yield before you are completely broken, and perhaps I will spare you some suffering."  
The ram tried throwing a weak punch, but stopped midway and began to scream; the wolf was constricting his knuckles. They began to crack as they contorted to fit the wolf's paw; soon, the ram was clawing at the wolf's hand, and pleading for his release.  
"Unluckily for you, I know sheep have week knuckles."  
His knuckles began to crack louder as the joints strained, and then broke. Other officers yelled for the wolf to release the creature, but he did not yield his grip. Soon, a loud snap echoed throughout the room, and blood began to drip; the wolf had broken the sheep's bones through his pelt. At this point, the others rushed to his side and retrieved him; it was only then that the wolf released his grip.

"Weak, hardly worth being an officer of the law. I expect better for the demonstration in two hours. Come, Leora."  
He wiped the blood from his paw, retrieved his sword, and left the room.  
"You didn't have to break his knuckles."  
"You know that I could have killed him. I showed mercy."  
Leora sighed. They visited several locations, none of which seemed to interest the ambassador very much. Eventually, they walked downstairs into a large gymnasium; weights adorned the walls, and further ahead were several large open courts. On the second level was a track that ran around the entire circumference of the room. Several mammals were lifting barbels and playing basketball, and a couple were jogging.  
"This is the rec room, officers can train here, or kill time during break."  
"Intriguing. Can you set up padding on the floor of the courts?"  
"I don't see why not."  
"Send someone to do that, and have Bogo move his best officers here for the demonstration."  
"Any particular reason, sir?"  
"It's easier to fall on padding than on hardwood or cement."  
"Sir?"  
"I plan on picking the five best officers, and if I don't have a show of combat, I wouldn't exactly know who to pick, would I?"  
"Very well, sir."  
Leora radioed to Bogo, and then to several members of the cleaning staff. They continued, but five steps later, the wolf stopped.

"Do you have a shooting range?"  
"In the second floor basement. We use it for the snipers so they can practice their aim, as well as for regular officers to practice with pistols. All tranquilizer guns, of course."  
"Can you pull a sniper from duty and take me to the range with them?"  
"There should already be at least one down there, but why would you want to see them?"  
"I want to challenge them, of course."  
"Perhaps some other time?"  
The wolf sighed.  
"I need a sniper on my squad, and I would hate for that role to be deferred to me. Call this a test of sorts."  
"You can shoot?"  
The wolf looked insulted.  
"Of course, I wouldn't be asking if I couldn't."  
Leora paused, as if considering what to do next.  
"Very well, let's go."

They went into an elevator, and Leora punched the button labeled 'L-2'. After a lengthy descent, they finally reached the destination floor. As they stepped out, frigid air greeted them.  
"I hate going down here, it's always cold," commented Leora.  
"I don't mind it," absentmindedly spoke the ambassador.  
"You're an arctic mammal, of course you wouldn't mind it."  
He laughed as they went towards the desk.  
"Hey Sarah, ambassador's paying us a visit," said Leora. "He wants to challenge one of the snipers."  
Sarah, a caribou, laughed very loudly.  
"So, ambassador, you think you can beat one of our snipers?" She spoke with a thick accent. "You should try Neal, he's at lane 14. Best sniper we have."  
"Where was he two nights ago?"  
"Pulling night duty at Chief Bogo's request, why?"  
"I can beat him. Let's go, Leora."

Sarah stared at them as they walked down the hall towards lane 14. It was so cold that the condensation in their breath was visible; Leora explained that the range was built so far down to avoid noise pollution, but since the change to tranquilizers, the depth only served to cool the room unnecessarily. When they arrived, they saw an arctic fox wielding a slender rifle; they paused to observe the shot. A hiss of gas escaped the pneumatic action; a second later, the sound of a dart hitting a board could be heard. The fox leaned up and pushed the retract button; the digital range indicator revealed a target reeling back from 250 meters.  
"Neal, this is..." began Leora, before realizing the ambassador never told her his name.  
"I am the ambassador from the East; it is my pleasure. I was told you are the best sniper this precinct has to offer, and I was hoping to challenge you to a target shooting contest."  
The fox laughed.  
"The name's Neal, and sure. I got time to kill. Where in the East, if I might ask?"  
"The Eastern United Republic."  
"Never heard of it. New country?"  
"Very old, but I'm sure it has a different name here."  
The target reeled in to reveal several near bull's-eyes, all just a millimeter off center.  
"Think you can beat that, ambassador?"  
The ambassador chuckled.  
"I know I can. Set it as far as you like. I trust the rifle is accurately sighted?"  
"Yeah, it's good. Let's see if you can hit it out at 100. Five shots, just to get used to the rifle, then we can get to the real challenge."

The ambassador seated himself at lane 13, and took the rifle in his hands. He ranged the target out to 100m and looked into the scope; he fired the first shot, and then the second after a while. After that, the third, fourth, and fifth shots.  
"I think I've go it. Pull it in."  
They pulled the target in: one dart was slightly left, the second slightly above, and the next three were grouped close in the middle.  
"Not bad, for a first timer. Let's see if you can do 500."  
The fox took the rifle, reeled the target to 500m, and scoped in. He fired the first shot, then after a minute the second. He continued this pattern, firing subsequent shots approximately a minute after the previous. After he brought the target back, nearly every dart was in the middle circle; only one dart was in the second ring, and even then just barely.  
"Beat that, ambassador," taunted Neal.  
"Reel it out to 1000." spoke the wolf, taking the rifle in his hands and reloading it.  
The fox laughed.  
"The max range on that rifle is only 900 meters, and the effective range is barely 450."  
"I know what I'm doing."  
The fox rolled his eyes and sent the target back. After two minutes, it reached its destination.  
The wolf set the rifle on the stand and took aim. He took one shot, adjusting the sight four seconds later when the dart made a subtle noise. He took a second shot a moment later, adjusting the sight again. The next three shots were almost as fast as he could cycle the bolt.  
"Bring it back."  
"That was fast, you sure you didn't miss?" chuckled the white fox.  
The target came back, and both Neal's and Leora's jaws dropped. While two darts were in the outer ring, one was in the middle dot but off center and two were stacked on top of each other dead center, one impaling the other.

The wolf handed the rifle back to the fox.  
"You shoot well, I need talent like yours. Come to the rec room an hour from now."  
"H-How did you do that? Can you teach me?" stammered Neal.  
"I was made for this, and if you come up, I don't see why not," spoke the wolf, before motioning for Leora to leave. "Come, Leora, can you take me to the armory?"  
"I don't think I'll be allowed to. I can't go in there without express permission from the chief."  
"I'm sure it will be fine."  
"I don't want to lose my job."  
"I'll take the flak."  
Leora sighed. This tour was not going even remotely like she had envisioned.

* * *

They were standing in front of the armory; it was a plain room, and near the door was a counter with no one behind it. On the counter was a sign: 'Back in five minutes'. Over the counter, gun racks could be seen bearing large counts of tranquilizers and other various armaments. In the very back was a large metal door, locked electronically.  
"That second door has our old guns behind it. We decided it was safer to keep the guns here than it was to get rid of them, so the chief got the key. Even if someone got a hold of them, they ID tag the bullets they fire, so it would be a cinch to match a victim to the gun. Ammo's stored separately as well, from what I'm told," informed Leora.  
"I think I'll take a look inside."  
"Are you mad?!"  
"Yes," the wolf said, jumping the counter into the back. He walked up and down the aisles, ignoring the protesting leopardess.  
"Get out of there! I'll get fired if they catch you back there!" hissed Leora. The ambassador waved her away like a nuisance and walked out of sight. She looked both ways, and seeing no one, also jumped the counter. She frantically searched for the wolf, running past the aisles, and finally found him inspecting the various explosives.  
"You wanted to see... the flashbangs?" she spoke, exasperated.  
"They look primitive." He picked one off of the rack and began to dismantle it quickly.  
"Put that back! If they weren't going to can me before then for sure-"  
"Hold this," he interrupted her, handing her the pin and spoon.  
"Oh no." She closed her eyes and covered her ears, expecting the grenade to go off, but to her surprise it did not.  
"Interesting, it appears as if there's a magnesium secondary..."  
"Please, just put that back before someone-"

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK THERE!" yelled an unknown voice from the hallway.  
"I hate you," mouthed Leora to the wolf.  
"It's fine, I'm giving the ambassador a tour and he requested to-" Leora began.  
"I DON'T CARE WHAT HE REQUESTED, HE CAN'T BE BACK THERE!"  
The wolf took the pin and spoon from Leora and swiftly assembled the grenade again before tossing it aside.  
"I'll handle this," he said confidently, walking out; Leora followed him, placing the haphazardly tossed grenade back on the shelf.  
"Stop right there!" yelled the source, evident to be a large rhino.  
"Surely you heard my companion, she said that I am on a tour."  
"You can't be back there," restated the rhino.  
"My authority supersedes yours."  
"Doesn't matter."

He tried to move to the left, and then the right, but the rhino blocked his path.  
"Out of my way," spoke the wolf. "We're running a tight schedule, and if you can't be bothered to honor it, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to go through you."  
The rhino laughed boisterously.  
"And how, pup, do you plan on doing that?"  
The wolf jumped and jabbed the rhino in the neck; the rhino immediately toppled over, gasping for air. He reached for his radio, but the wolf crushed it under-paw.  
"You can't run around wantonly attacking cops!" screamed Leora, frustrated. She was now certain that his actions had cost her job.  
"He is a disposable asset. Now, can you take me to-"  
"No more! We're going to Chief Bogo, I'm sure it's been two hours anyways."  
"An hour and forty minutes."  
"It's a twenty minute walk. Let's go."  
The wolf rolled his eyes. They walked quickly and quietly towards Bogo's office.

When they arrived, Leora knocked on the door.  
"Come in."  
She opened the door and immediately hung her head low.  
"Leora, what can I do for you? Ambassador, was the tour to your satisfaction?"  
"Sir, please don't fire me..." Leora said quietly.  
The chief looked at the leopardess, then at the wolf, the back at the leopardess.  
"What happened?"  
"Your officers are terribly undisciplined, Chief," quickly replied the wolf. "We have been repeatedly harassed merely for walking, and I have been forced to defend myself twice."  
Bogo stood.  
"My sincerest apologies ambassador! Who attacked you?"  
"When I was touring the cubicles, a ram; when I was at the armory, a rhino."  
"I will ensure that both be reprimanded, _harshly_."  
"That reminds me: about the officers I asked you to call in, how is that endeavor coming along?"  
"Most of the officers are already at the courts of the recreation facilities, but we are still waiting on officers from the Polar Strait and the Marshlands. They estimate another fifteen minutes."  
"Excellent. I will be waiting on the second floor of the gymnasium. Will you join me, Leora?"  
"I wanted to have a word with the Chief, if I could."  
The wolf nodded, and walked out.

"A word with me, Leora?"  
"That wolf you were expecting, he didn't show up, did he?"  
Bogo's eyes narrowed as he sat back down.  
"How did you know?"  
"You know the ambassador is a wolf, right?"  
His eyes shot open in sudden realization.  
"No, it can't be. He's the ambassador?!"  
"I'm afraid so, sir."  
"Leora, I want you to go out there and keep an eye on him. He tries anything funny, arrest him."  
"I can't sir, he's protected by the laws of diplomatic immunity."  
Bogo covered his face with his hooves.  
"Fuck me, he knew what he was doing when he came here."  
"Should I inform the mayor, sir?"  
"No, the mayor wouldn't handle this in any decent way. Right now, the best thing to do would be to keep him under our watch. We can prevent him from killing anyone as long as he's working with us."  
"He says he wants a squad, how do we brief the other officers about this?"  
"I'll let him handle it. I don't want conflicting stories flying around, it'll cause too much trouble. For now just keep a close eye on him. I'll join you when the last few officers get here."  
Leora saluted and exited to catch up with the wolf.

* * *

 **The Mind's Eye**

Judy was swimming in an endless sea of darkness. Only a few seconds ago she was desperately trying to land in water and not on concrete, and now she was struggling to stay afloat in a murky abyss that diverged to infinity. At least, she thought it was a few seconds ago; she had been fighting for her life for what seemed like an eternity, and this was the latest in a group of impossible challenges. Time had no meaning in this land of nightmares.

She felt the darkness splashing beneath her paws. It was engulfing her, not unlike water, but she didn't feel wet; only cold and despair. No matter how hard she tried to tread the fluid, she could not stay atop it for long. It was nearly above her now, and she was slowly sinking to the bottom of the void. Before she passed into nothingness, the fluid vanished.

It happened every time she nearly failed: she would give a vain effort, and when all hope was lost and she was about to die ( _could she die in this mysterious world?_ ), some condition changed that gave her a brief respite, before turning to hell all over again. This time, instead of sinking through a void, she was now floating, as if there was no gravity. She was no longer struggling to breathe, or stay afloat. Tears welled up in her eyes, but had nowhere to go.

Suddenly, she felt a force pulling on her; gravity had returned, and she was falling again. Something was different this time, however: instead of falling into darkness, there was a small glimmer of light far beneath her. She tumbled for hours ( _or seconds?_ ) before coming to its source. It was a small orb, seemingly made of glass. When she grabbed onto it, the world changed again.

This time, she was sitting on a field of grass amidst hills. A single blossoming tree stood next to her, and beneath it, a familiar auburn figure. Judy was hesitant to run, lest she lose this dream to one of chaos, so she slowly walked. The auburn blur against the tree looked up and spoke.

"Carrots, what's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?"  
"N-Nick?" asked Judy. Could it actually be him?  
"Good to see you didn't devolve into a dumb bunny in your time here."  
"Are y… You aren't real, are you?"  
Nick frowned.  
"Well, yes and no. What is real, anyways? For all any of us know, you could just be a brain in a jar hooked up to wires being fed information to make it seem like you're a rabbit living a life as a cop, who met a devilishly handsome sly fox."  
"Answer me, please." Judy pleaded.  
"I'm as real as you want me to be. If you're happy with this, this is all you ever have to see." Nick motioned to the surreal landscape around him, with white fluffy clouds, perfectly azure sky, brilliantly green grass, and fresh smell.  
"And… if I'm not?"  
"But you are, aren't you Carrots?"

Judy looked around. He was right, she was happy with this. If this was all she ever had to see again, she might not want to return to the pain and sadness of reality. However, there were still lingering doubts.  
"Well, yes, but..."  
The red fox sighed.  
"You want the real Nick, don't you?"  
Judy hugged him tightly, tears beginning to flow. She was done with nightmares and dreams.  
"Yes."  
"Remember. What was the last thing that happened before you started to fall?"  
"I was…" She was having difficulty recalling. "You were there, there was a knock on the door, I decided to load my tranquilizer..."  
"Who was at the door?"  
She strained her mind.  
"Kane?"  
"Are you asking me or telling me?"  
"It was Kane, with his thugs."  
"'Atta girl. What happened next?"  
"They shot something and broke the door down, so I put my gun up. Then..."  
"Then what?" probed the fox.

"Pain."  
Judy clutched her chest, and looked down. A bright crimson was quickly leaking through her gray fur. As the sanguine fluid fell, it marred the ground beneath her, killing the grass and desecrating the Earth.  
"N-Nick! Help!"  
The fox just sat there, expression blank.  
"Nick, please! I'm dying!"  
He only stared at her apathetically, as if he couldn't care less about her dire predicament.  
"You're alright, Judy."  
"Please."

She fell in his lap and reached to his face. He glanced down to her, and ran his paws through the fur on her head.  
"You don't need my help, Judy. It's all in your head."  
"It hurts, I'm bleeding!"  
"None of it is real."  
"It's real to me!"  
"Remember what happened next."  
"I… You held me. Kane's lackeys died."  
"And then?"  
"I… I don't know."  
"You do know. The last thing I did before you passed out."  
"You… you..."

Judy was racking her brain. She was struggling to remember before the loss of blood did her away.  
"You put pressure on the wound."  
"And?"  
"The man gave me a shot..."  
"So what happened?"  
The light was slowly fading from her eyes.  
"Judy, you need to answer me," probed Nick. "You want to see Nick again, don't you?"

She was feeling very faint now. These next words would have to be her last.  
"You… saved… me..."  
He leaned in to kiss her on her forehead as she shut her eyes. She heard one final voice before the world went black.  
"Wake up soon, Judy."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was fun to write.**

 **Edit: Also annoying to format the paragraphs. It's all dialogue and the lines were individually spaced.**


	10. Chapter VII: A Test of Strength

**Zootopia Police Department  
** **Precinct One**

Leora joined the ambassador in overlooking the assembled crowd of officers below.  
"I see you've revealed me to Bogo. It's a shame, I was enjoying the game of shadows," he mentioned after a moment of silence.  
She didn't reply.  
Several minutes later, Bogo walked in, along with several arctic mammals; his uniform was pristine and the brass that adorned him was polished. He proudly marched up to Leora and the wolf, while the mammals he walked in with went to meet the group on the first floor.  
"So, shall we begin?" asked Bogo, shooting a dirty look.  
"Naturally, Mr. Bogo. Unless you would like to keep me waiting?"

Bogo snorted and quickly glanced at Leora, who returned his look of exasperation.  
"Listen up!" Bogo began, raising his voice so that all could hear. "You were brought here to impress a special visitor at the mayor's request. I want you to act with the utmost respect, and perform at your best." He turned to the wolf. "Why don't you introduce yourself, ambassador?"  
All eyes in the room turned to him.  
"Greetings, everyone. I am the ambassador that I'm sure all of you have heard of. However, I do not need nor want such formalities. You may refer to me as Kai while I am here."  
An arm in the crowd shot up; Bogo pointed, and a mammal piped up:  
"Ambassador from where?"  
"The EUR. You probably call it something else here. Any other questions, or shall we begin?"  
A kangaroo raised its arm.  
"Why are you here? There are way better places to see in the city, so why the police department?"  
Bogo glared, but the wolf answered regardless.  
"I will be frank. I have observed a crime problem in this city, one that the police alone cannot deal with. Therefore, with the mayor's permission, I am here to employ old military tactics. That's where you all come in. I need five mammals that will join me; you must be capable, fearless, and willing to do what needs to be done, including following any and all orders. Although I can offer double what you make now, the work is more than twice as hard. Avoiding death will be one of your biggest worries. You will be trained extensively, and you will leave all paperwork and documentation to me. In the end, the reward will be the eradication of crime. If this offer doesn't appeal to you, then you are free to leave and resume your regular duty."

Immediately about half of the mammals shuffled out: mostly prey and smaller mammals, although a few remained.  
"Excellent," stated Kai. "Mr. Bogo, when you are ready, you may begin your exercise."  
Bogo rolled his eyes.  
"Alright, everyone break into four groups. We're having ourselves a fight club."

* * *

 **Downtown  
Nick's Apartment**

Thunder clapped outside; the rain still hadn't let up. Nick was picking at a plate of eggs; he didn't feel hungry, and he was still lost in the previous night's discussions. He took the badge that the man gave him in hand and kept turning it in his hand, wondering: if the world once had technology like this at its disposal, how could anyone get hurt?

The phone began to ring. Nick let it ring twice before lazily shambling over to the receiver and picking it up.  
"Hello?" he asked drearily.  
"Is this Nick Wilde?" asked a feminine voice on the other end.  
"Speaking, who's asking?"  
"Hello Nick, this is Juniper Horns, I'm a registered nurse at Zootopia Central Hospital. You wanted us to call if there were any developments with Ms. Judy Hopps."  
"And?!" probed Nick with agitation.  
"She just woke up from her coma. We've just finished our examinations, so if you would like to visit her, now would-"  
"I'm on my way," he cut off, and hung up.

He quickly threw on a proper shirt, made his tie and grabbed an umbrella. He almost stepped out the door, but returned to grab the badge from the table; given the misfortune he and Judy had experienced in the past several days, he could use all the good luck he could get.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the extremely short chapter, as well as nearly 13 days of no updates at all. I had all sorts of shit to finish up for the end of semester. I basically went seven and a half days without sleeping, and after all that was done, I went to bed at maybe ~11 EDT on Friday. I woke up three or four hours ago (10:30 pm EDT Sunday), and I'm about to go sleep some more. Thankfully I finally get my two weeks of vacation, so maybe I can get some actual updates out.**

 **Also I'll have a real update tomorrow*, I promise.**

 **(*I might sleep through tomorrow, so maybe the day after.)**

 **Edit: This chapter was short because of the above reasons; I'll leave them in. I'll also leave in the lie about timely updates.**


	11. Chapter VIII: The Team Comes Together

**Zootopia Police Department  
Precinct One  
1:23 pm**

The four rings of mammals had worn down in numbers until only eight had stood; although the beaten and bloodied had put up a gallant show, they were not up to Kai's standards. The top eight had an uncanny distribution of polar mammals; when asked, Bogo merely replied that Tundratown and the Polar Straight saw more crime than the rest of the city combined, and as such, would have the best officers.

In the first ring, a rhino was dueling an arctic wolf; there was no indication of this brawl ending any time soon.

In the second ring, a snow leopard was putting on a show of martial prowess against a lion; every incoming punch was deflected, and the fight ended swiftly with the lion being thrown to the floor and pinned.

In the third ring, an antelope was dancing laps around a kangaroo; the latter was wearing himself out trying to keep up, and after several minutes of missed kicks, the antelope delivered a knockout blow that resounded throughout the gymnasium.

In the last ring, two polar bears were trading furious blows; blood was flying, and their impressive stamina was rivaled only by the brutality with which they clubbed each other. In the end, only one stood standing; the other toppled over, defeated.

Kai turned his attention to the first ring. The fight was uninteresting, except for the manner in which the wolf fought. He fought tooth and nail, quite literally; whenever he had an opportunity, he would swipe at the rhino's legs with his claws, or when he was grabbed in a hold, he bit at the rhino's arm. His dirty tactics didn't go unnoticed, and the crowd that amassed began booing tremendously; even Bogo gave a grunt of disapproval. The fight concluded when the rhino managed to land a hit on the wolf's snout, and shortly thereafter fell atop him. When the rhino got up, nearly every mammal in the room cheered.

"There you have it, your team is waiting, Kai," spoke Bogo with a hint of distaste in his voice.  
"I don't know how you managed to fuck it up, but I asked for _five_ mammals Bogo. Not four."  
"I know. You're taking Leora with you."  
The wolf lazily looked the leopardess over.  
"She doesn't look too impressive."  
"She graduated third in her class of 800 from the prestigious Howl-Clawburg Military Academy. If anything, she's more qualified than the rest of them."  
"A military academy? Riddle me this, Mr. Bogo: why would a nation that has never seen war have a military?"  
"You're one to ask, with your 'military' tactics."  
The wolf narrowed his eyes.  
"If she is so qualified, then how about she proves it?"  
"Leora, you can take the four of them at once, can't you?" Bogo asked, with a sneering tone.  
"I'm sure I-" Leora began.  
"No, she will fight me," Kai interrupted.  
"She will not-" protested Bogo, before Leora put up her paw to silence him.  
"Fine," she said, motioning to the floor below.

Kai removed the sword in sheath from his belt and leaned it against the railing. As Leora began walking to the staircase, he leaped the balustrade to the floor below.  
"Clear some room," he commanded; the mammals around him instantly obeyed his call, all the while staring increduously. Soon, Leora walked up to him.  
"Show-off," she stated.  
"We don't have to fight if you're scared, Leora. I know I would be, if I were in your position," jeered Kai.  
"And what would happen if we didn't fight?" she questioned, loosening her stance.  
"Already you have the right mindset, but I need those that are strong as well as smart. _En garde._ " He raised his paws into a fighting pose; he chose a martial art, one that they would likely have never seen before. She raised her paws up, clenched loosely into fists; she was swaying back and forth very slightly, and her tail was waving hypnotically in an effort to distract him.

They stood for ten full seconds before she began to slowly circle him; she was looking for an advantage, a weakness in his pose that she could exploit. In turn, he followed her pattern, circling slowly to maintain his distance. Satisfied, she flicked her tail left for an instant; Kai's eye naturally followed the flash of yellow, and she dashed to the right. She swung her fist and nearly had him, but he managed to raise his arm to block in an instant, grabbing her wrist and swinging her around.

She again tried to distract him with her tail, but this time to no avail; the same trick would not work twice. He saw her crescent kick coming, and let go of her wrist to block it. The force that Leora was putting into her blows was impressive, to say the least; Kai had heard of the strength of wild animals, but this was something else. Two more kicks in quick succession, and she backed off to reanalyze her approach.

Kai could hear her heartbeat: it had barely risen since the start of the match. She was merely probing his abilities, testing the water to see what he was capable of. He would show her soon enough. She lunged again, flicking her tail to the left; by this point, he had no longer bothered looking towards the tail, instead looking for a blow to follow; as expected, he saw and managed to intercept a straight punch aimed for his face. Unexpectedly, he felt something constrict around his neck and pull him back: she had wrapped her tail around his throat and tried to pull him to the floor.

He grabbed at his throat in an attempt to free himself when he saw a flash of light whizzing towards his face. He barely managed to lean backwards to avoid it; she had extended her claws, and managed to shear off his eyepatch. He quickly covered his eye with his left paw, and grabbed her tail with his right, sharply jerking it up. She lost her footing, and he took the opportunity to stumble back to a safer distance; she quickly stood up and re-took her stance.

"I see you have no qualms about fighting dirty," Kai spoke, clutching his eye.  
"I know I can't beat you fighting fair," Leora replied.  
"I admire that, but you should know something..." He reached into his pocket for his handkerchief, trying it across his eye.  
"What's that?" she asked, slowly approaching.  
"Two can play at that game."

She threw two quick punches; he blocked them and threw one of his own towards her throat. She parried, and grabbed his arm to throw him; as she struggled in vain to lift him off of the floor, he threw his knee into her ribs. She lurched backwards before regaining her balance as Kai followed to throw a kick. Leora rolled to the side, and stood back to her feet. Her heart rate was steadily climbing.

She went for a tackle, and managed to grab around his waist; again, she could not move him. He aimed a punch at her back, but she swiped at his abdomen and ducked to the side; his uniform was shredded, but he was unharmed. As he reeled around to face her, she kicked the back of his knee and put him into a choke-hold, strangling tightly. He grabbed at her arm in vain, but her hold was flawless; in the end, he resorted to dragging his claws across it. Despite her arm being injured, she still didn't relent. He regained his footing, stood, and leaned forward, lifting her off of the ground; using his new-found leverage, he threw her over his head onto the matting below, locking her in his own headlock. She kicked over her head and struck him in the shoulder, before rotating and landing a kick in his neck; he dropped his hold, and she scrambled away.

Leora quickly stood and lunged with a kick; he ducked beneath her leg and grabbed her tail, throwing her down. She got up with a sweeping motion, and threw another kick. This time, Kai caught her leg and planted his own on her hip. Leora's eyes widened by the time she realized what he was about to do, but it was too late. He pulled deftly and, using his footing for support, dislocated her hip with a pop. She yelped, but before she could free herself, he quickly twisted her leg, dislocating her knee.

Leora yelled as Kai threw her to the ground. She quickly rolled over her back to stand on her good leg, putting up her fists. This time, he ran and threw a flying spin kick; she ducked underneath, but when she straightened out, she met his jab in her ribs. She staggered and nearly fell over, but he caught her by her arm, only to lift her and flip her across it. Instantly, she felt blinding pain in her shoulder joint; surprisingly, the pain subsided.

Her heart was pounding; she was defeated, and so he relinquished. He quickly relocated her leg, and walked up the stairs to Bogo. The other mammals had a range of emotions on their faces: some were confused, some were scared, some were even amazed. Several rushed to help Leora, to stop her slight bleeding and to otherwise aid her.

Kai had arrived on the second floor and grabbed his sword, replacing it on his belt. He looked down towards the crowd, and they all looked up at him.  
"Is she not skilled?" Bogo asked.  
"I want to meet the five of them in your office. Except the rhinoceros, bring me his opponent instead."  
"What? What could you possibly want with a wolf who fights dirty? He didn't even win."  
"He doesn't just fight dirty, he fights with purpose. So what if he lost? I can fix that, but I can't fix lack-luster fighting. I also want one of your snipers in there with them, the arctic fox."  
"Officer Snowburrow? He's a slacker, you can have him. Calls himself the best, and I think he's even convinced everyone else of it too."  
"Bring him up, bring them all up. I have a call to make."

* * *

 **Zootopia Central Hospital  
1:21 pm  
10 minutes prior**

Nick Wilde was racing through the corridors of the hospital; he was desperate to get to Judy's room before… well, he was sure nothing would happen, but he wanted to get there as swiftly as he could. Room by room passed by, and he eventually came across Rm. 219, Judy's room. He knocked.

"Yeah," quietly answered a voice from the other side. Nick opened the door and stepped in. Inside he saw the tacky hospital décor, awful yellow painted walls mixed with floral wallpaper; he despised the room, but it was not the reason he was visiting. He turned his eyes to the bed. There, a rabbit lay nearly motionless, save for occasional breathing. Her ears were flopped by the side of her head, and her arm was in a sling. Her chest was wound in bandages, and her eyes seemed dull at first glance, belying the nature of their host.  
"Nick," she smiled weakly.  
"Carrots!" Nick replied, rushing to her bedside, grasping her paw in his. "I've missed you. I came too close to losing you again."  
"I'll live."  
"I know you'll live. How are you holding up?"  
"I've had bad dreams. Nightmares. It was awful, I thought I would never wake up." Tears welled in her eyes, and then in Nick's.  
"I'm here. As long I'm here, you'll be alright," he promised. She smiled wider.

She clasped his fingers tighter and leaned back, closing her eyes. They sat together for a long time, before Nick's phone rang. He looked at the face and saw a familiar number, Voss. A puzzled expression grew on his face. He walked to the window to avoid disturbing the sleeping rabbit, and answered.  
"Hello?"  
"You know everyone Nick. Tell me about 'Retta Hummel'."  
"Retta… Sounds familiar, why do you care?"  
"Kane let slip that he was getting his orders from some raccoon. Normally I would do my own research, but the paper trail runs cold."  
"Kane..." Nick voiced with disgust. He tried to remember where he had heard Retta's name before, but nothing immediate came to mind; he had had far too many dealings with the criminal underworld to remember every possible insignificant name off the top of his head.  
"He's been disposed of, do not worry. My primary concern is finding this raccoon, after I train my squad up to standard."  
"Disposed of? Squad?" Nick began to worry; if Kai was gaining influence quick enough to have command of troops, things could get bad very fast.  
"He yet lives, but he's incapacitated, most likely permanently; and yes, I have a squad. I made a deal with Mr. Bogo to take six officers of his under my supervision."  
"That's besides the point, why did you call me? I'm sure Bogo has leads you could follow for this raccoon."  
"I desired the interaction; anyways, let me know when you remember who Retta is. Give the rabbit my regards."

"Will d-" Nick paused. "How did you know she was awake?"  
"I can access hospital records. Inpatient data, outpatient data, lab requisition forms, any... Nick, what did you do with the red syringe I gave you?"  
"You mean the blood?"  
"Please tell me this lab requisition is for some other red syringe."  
"No, I gave it to them. I didn't feel comfortable giving Judy something that… red… without knowing what it was."  
"Shit. Do you have any idea how much trouble you've just caused?"  
"I'm sure it's no big deal."  
"I intend to keep it that way. I'll pay them a visit and destroy any data they've collected."  
"What if someone read the report?"  
"Then I will ensure their silence."  
Kai hung up.

Nick had just ensured the death of the skunk who had delivered his lab results.

He stared silently out the window. The rain pattered softly against the glass pane, leaving streaks as it traveled down the surface; beyond, he saw he dimly lit city beneath the clouds. Tonight, downtown would be like the Rainforest District, if perhaps it wasn't for the unpleasantly cold temperature outside.

"Nick, who're you talking to?" asked Judy.  
"Hmm?" he asked, turning to face her.  
"I overheard you mention Retta's name, what happened to her?"  
"Wait, you know her?" Nick was taken aback. How could Judy know some criminal raccoon?  
"Yeah, she and I used to ride the train together, we still see each other every now and then."  
"Huh, small world."  
"Is she in trouble?"  
"Remember Kane?"  
Judy shuddered.  
"Yeah, supposedly she gave him his guns and goons. I don't know how much of that is true, but 'our friend' is trying to find her to make sure."  
"I hope everything turns out okay." She let out a shallow sigh.  
"Me too, but can you remember where she lives?"  
"Well, no… but she does take the Zootopia Loop to Downtown every morning. At least, she did when I still took it. After we moved, anything could have happened, but I remember her telling me she worked at some bank…"  
"Anything more specific? There are at least a dozen banks downtown, and we need a place to start."  
"The day before we moved, she was telling me about how she hated managing gerbils and wanted a change of pace, so it could have been one of those big-shot banks, Jawson & Pace, or Zootopia First."  
"Thanks Carrots, I'll let him know."

Nick pulled his phone out and began to dial the number, but paused, before canceling; Judy noticed.  
"Something wrong, Nick?"  
"Why am I even helping him?"  
"Because we want justice for what happened? Because it's our job?" Judy suggested.  
"Is this the way to do it? I mean, it's his fault you and I ended up in the hospital. Why not just tip off Bogo instead, I'm sure he'll handle this the right way."  
"But if we couldn't trust Kane, how do we know we can trust anyone else in the department?" she protested.  
"Bogo is trustworthy. I'm sure he'll devote his resources correctly."  
"Do what you think is right."

He looked at his phone, and dialed Chief Bogo.

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
Precinct One  
1:34 pm**

Bogo was paying a visit to the staff psychologist per the request of the ambassador; the party was currently in his office, and he had been tasked with arranging for psychiatric evaluations for the six. As he was walking through the narrow corridors of the precinct, his phone rang; he answered.

"You've got Bogo."  
"Chief Bogo, this is Officer Wilde. I have some important news."  
"Wilde, this is unexpected. How is Judy?"  
"Awake; listen, I've been told that a raccoon might be responsible for what happened. Some 'Retta', is that correct?"  
"How did you know?"  
"I might know where to find her; rather, Judy does."  
Bogo looked up and down the corridor, before stepping into an empty room to continue the call.  
"Where?"  
"Supposedly, she takes the Zootopia Loop to work Downtown every day, some big bank. Judy thinks she works with gerbils, and suspects it might be either Jawson & Pace or Zootopia First."  
"I'll have Hound look into it as soon as I can. Right now, I have something to finish up."  
"I pray you'll involve the correct mammals. After Kane, well… I don't know who to trust."  
"I imagine the wolf told you about the raccoon, am I correct?"  
"… yes."  
"You made the right choice coming to me. I'll see to it that this gets wrapped up quickly."  
Nick hung up, and Bogo peeked out of the room: no one in the corridor. Suspicious, granted that the hallway was one of the major access points of the station; since they just finished up a large demonstration, especially so.

He made his way to the office of Dr. Pawvlov and knocked on the door.  
"Enter."  
Bogo stepped in, and was greeted by a long-snouted individual with spectacles seated in front of his eyes. He was wearing a gray suit, and his fur was a dark brown on black.  
"Doctor, I hope I am not interrupting anything important."  
"Not at all, what services can I offer you, Chief?"  
"I need you to perform six… no, seven evaluations."  
"Of what kind?"  
"To see if the officers and guest in question are fit for a special kind of duty. I haven't been told the nature, but I was assured that it was horrific."  
"I see. Why didn't you just call? It's a long walk from your office."  
"They kicked me out."  
The dog laughed.  
"How did they manage that?"  
"Let's just pretend that I let them."  
"Very well, when should I expect them?"  
Bogo looked at the wall clock.  
"Within the hour, but I should warn you: the guest, the timberwolf in regal dress, he's depraved."  
"Why, Chief, I see all sorts of depravity on a daily basis, how bad can he be?"  
"You'll see. I'll send them shortly."  
"Until we meet again, Chief," bid Pawvlov farewell.

Bogo waved, and closed the door behind him. He would enjoy watching what kind of mammal the ambassador would turn out to be under the prying inspection of Dr. Pawvlov.

* * *

"You _what_?" asked Kai, hardly managing to suppress his anger.  
"You heard me. You're getting an evaluation, too," retorted Bogo, smirking.  
"I refuse."  
"You get one, or they stay with me."  
The wolf paused to think about his options.  
"Very well."  
Bogo turned to address everyone.  
"When you go in there, you all need to be truthful with Dr. Pawvlov-"  
Kai stifled a laugh.  
"What's so funny?"  
"I suppose he's a dog, too?"  
"So what if he is? He's the best psychologist in the city."  
He began roaring with laughter.  
"If I ring a bell, will he ask for food?"  
Bogo rolled his eyes.  
"Ignore him. You need to be truthful with him, or else there's no point in the evaluation. This is for your benefit. Leora, you're up first."  
Bogo stepped out with Leora, and the only sound in the room was the timberwolf's laughter.

Neal piped up.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Old world humor. You wouldn't understand."  
He took a deep breath to settle down.  
"So, your names. I need something to call each of you. I've already met Leora and Neal." He looked to the arctic wolf.  
"Rufus Icehowl."  
He nodded, and turned to the polar bear.  
"Bjorn Bjornson."  
Next, the snow leopard.  
"Felix Shingis."  
Lastly, the antelope.  
"Prance Insa."  
"Excellent. Now that know your names, you get to ask anything. After all, it seems only right that you get to know your commanding officer before you begin to do field work."

Prance was first to speak.  
"Who are you, really?"  
"That's a vague question. There's a lot to me."  
"Where did you learn to fight like you did with Leora?"  
"I trained to be a soldier; rather, an assassin. I learned every weak point, every fatal strike, every possible way to kill an opponent. I know every anatomy: after all, what good is it to strike at my weak spots if my opponent is not like me? During my fight with Leora, I was at a disadvantage because I was not allowed to permanently injure or kill her."  
Bjorn spoke next.  
"So, you'll teach us how to kill?"  
"No, I'll teach you how to win unconditionally. Killing is an unfortunate byproduct."  
Neal asked the next question.  
"If I'm not on the frontlines, do I have to learn how to fight?"  
"You always have to consider the worst case, so yes."  
Prance asked again.  
"What kind of training?"  
"A week straight. I trust you already underwent strength training in the academy, so I'll focus on fighting exercises. I'll teach you how to fight for real, no boxing. Felix had the right idea."  
Felix snickered.  
"What would you teach me that I already don't know? Before the academy, I was in a monastery on Sagarmatha learning the highest level of fighting," asked Felix.  
"Then why were you in the Polar Straight, and not Downtown?"  
"Because there's no respect for a cat without a mane in this establishment."  
"Whatever your excuse, it doesn't matter anymore. You don't need to answer to Bogo; instead, you will answer to me. If Bogo asks questions, you direct him to me."

"Why the psych evaluations?" asked Bjorn.  
"What you will see cannot be unseen. What you do cannot be undone. I want to be sure you are up to the task."  
"How bad is it?" asked Neal.  
"Have you ever killed anyone?"  
Neal lowered his head.  
"Well, yeah. Tranquilizer rifles tend to overdose smaller mammals."  
"I'll be equipping you with heavy firepower, not tranquilizers. If that's the attitude you have towards death, I don't think you're prepared."  
"Heavy firepower?"  
"Bogo thinks he's the only one with real rifles. He's mistaken. If we work correctly, you'll never have to use it. However, if something goes awry, you need to be prepared to take lives. That applies to all of you."  
"Real rifles are illegal," Felix stated.  
"There are those that must work above the law to ensure its sanctity."  
"And where do you decide the limits?"  
"Where do the criminals? Why can they keep getting away in court despite the law being laid out so clear?"  
"Killing won't be a regular occurrence, will it?" asked Prance.  
"I assured Bogo that I would refrain. However, if it comes to life or death, I'd prefer they die over you."

Silence.  
Rufus spoke with a curious tone.  
"You are not a wolf. What are you?"  
Everyone stared at Rufus.  
"How are you so certain?"  
"A wolf has four prehensile digits." He raised his paw and wiggled his fingers as a demonstration. "In fact, all mammals with paws have four; hooves have three. You have five. Your fur is mottled, your tail is lacking, your ears are the wrong shape. Your eye that you covered up, I briefly saw it when your covering fell: it was a dull red cat's eye. Yet, you call yourself a timberwolf. What is your explanation?"  
All eyes in the room drifted to Kai.  
He chuckled, inspecting his paw before him.  
"You are indeed very observant. Much more so than I gave you credit for. Perhaps when we begin training I will explain, but right now is not the time."

Leora walked back into the room, blank expression on her face.  
"Snowburrow, you're up next," Bogo stated. The fox got up and walked out the door.  
"What did I miss?" Leora asked.  
"Nothing important," Kai assured. "You are to report to me and me alone; I will report to Bogo in your stead. However, knowing how he set me up twice already, I would imagine you plan on ignoring that order."  
"I have orders from Bogo to report to him."  
"I imagined as much… Say, Leora, what is your surname? I've been properly introduced to everyone else, save for you."  
"I don't have one."  
"How so?"

"Leora is my mononym. A family tradition from long ago."  
"Like the emperors of Japan?"  
"Rings a bell, where is that?"  
"A slip of the tongue. Now that you are here, I want you to take this time to ask me any question."  
"Why?"  
"Don't you think subordinates should know their commander before they risk their lives on his behalf? That someone should know the cause for which they fight?"  
"Not particularly."

Rufus piped up.  
"Hey Leora, ask him what he really is."  
"I already know he's not a wolf, he weighs half a ton. Why do you think I couldn't throw him? In fact, I probably know more about him than he thinks I do."  
"You do?" asked Kai.  
"I know who you truly are, and what circumstances you came to the Chief under. Who you've killed."  
"But I know that you won't tell anyone."  
"Under what penalty? Death? You wouldn't dare."  
"No. I just trust you to do the right thing."  
Leora immediately fell silent with a look of shame on her face.

They sat in silence for a while. Bogo returned with Neal.  
"Bjornson, your turn." He left with the polar bear.  
"So, who died?" Neal asked, trying to liven up the mood.  
They just stared at him.  
"Evidently your senses of humor..." he said, defeated.  
"Actually, I have something to ask. Two years ago, the assistant mayor attempted to frame predators' biology for the attacks that were happening. Bellwether: what happened to her?" asked Kai.  
Leora looked up to face him.  
"I thought you knew everything?" she faux-mocked.  
"She is incarcerated, but where?"  
"Actually, she's pending trial for execution."  
"She merely poisoned a few predators. No one died."

Several looks of disgust spread across the room.  
"Crimes against mammality, hate crime, attempted murder; she's not the type that should be running around free."  
"What harm could come of it if she were in prison?"  
"Her posse already tried to break her out twice. Almost succeeded once. Impressive if you ask me, considering she's a mile underground, six miles off the coast of the city."  
"What would you think if I made that your first exercise as a team?"  
"What?"  
"Breaking her out."  
"Why?! We'd probably fail, and even if we didn't, what would we do with her anyways?"  
"Just kidding."  
Leora shook her head.

After a while, Bogo came back.  
"Icehowl, come with me." The wolf got up and left.  
The other mammals were bored out of their minds by the silence; they had begun to fidget, or tap incessantly, but not Kai. If there was one thing he was good at, it was waiting. He had done it for over two thousand years, and he could bear to do it some more; however, that didn't mean that he enjoyed it. Soon, Bogo came again.

"Shingis," Bogo commanded, opening the door. "Your turn."  
The snow leopard stood and exited, and the wolf returned.  
There was idle conversation between the other mammals in the room; eventually, Rufus spoke up.  
"Where are we going to train? We can't take up the recreation center for a week."  
"I have a place in mind. Far from any distractions, just outside the city," Kai responded.  
"We're leaving Zootopia?"  
"Only for a week."

Bogo returned for Insa, and the antelope left with him.  
Idle conversation filled the room.  
"It looks like you're next," Leora said to Kai. "What are you going to do?"  
"Tell me, what does Bogo hate?" he asked of everyone.  
"Erm, Criminals, but what has that got to do with anything?" she asked.  
"The media," Neal offered.  
"His shortcomings," Felix suggested.

Kai pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.  
"Mayor Lionheart, greetings. My apologies for making a call on such short notice. I was hoping… yes, of course."  
A slight pause, and he resumed.  
"I was hoping you would be able to arrange a televised press conference for Chief Bogo regarding the 'Night Howler Killer'; I was wondering what had resulted from the case. Perhaps a police interim report as well, it seems about that time of year."  
Leora was stifling a laugh.  
"Yes, as many networks as you can. Oh, you can bring all of them? Excellent."  
Everyone was chuckling.  
"Whenever you have time, I wouldn't want you to cancel anything… In two hours, at city hall? My, how fast you can work! I'll make sure to notify him. You have my eternal gratitude."  
He hung up. Everyone was dying from laughter: tears streamed down Leora's face, and Rufus was pounding the desk in an attempt to maintain his composure.  
"No one has played the Chief like that in… well, as long as I can remember, and I've been with the department for years," Bjorn stated amidst heavy breaths.  
"If he didn't hate you before, he'll hate you now," Leora said, trying to stop laughing.  
"Good. He shouldn't have wasted my time."

Bogo stormed into the room with Prance.  
"What are you all going on about?" he demanded.  
"Your press conference," Kai responded.  
"I don't have one for three weeks."  
"I pulled a few strings. Two hours, city hall."  
"WHAT?!"  
"Have fun." He gave Bogo a very large smile.  
"Do you want to know what I think of you right now?"  
"What you think is inconsequential to me. I want to view their evaluations."  
"Dr. Pawvlov has them in his office. Let's go. Now." Bogo seethed.  
"After you."

Bogo left, and the wolf followed. They traveled down the stairs, and into a long corridor lit by dim fluorescent overhead lighting. The hallway was long and winding, and continued through several turns; eventually, however, Bogo stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary wooden door, and knocked.  
"Enter."  
He opened the door, and motioned for the wolf to enter.  
"Ahh," spoke the dog behind the desk. "You must be the guest I've heard so much about. It is a pleasure to meet you."  
"The pleasure is all mine," Kai said dryly. "I was told you had the evaluations on the previous six for me; I would like to see them."

The doctor held a stack of papers aloft, consisting of numerous pages of detailed notes and tests on each examinee, and handed them to him. He took them and skimmed them through:

* * *

Leora:  
No exemplary traits. Hiding something from me, dodges questions with ease; difficult to examine. Psychologically sound.

Rav "Neal" Snowburrow:  
Unmotivated, lazy. Doesn't trust me. Nervous fidget. Possible past trauma, but seems sound.

Bjorn Bjornson:  
Compliant, with good memory recall. Psychologically sound.

Rufus Icehowl:  
Tendency to remain absolutely still and silent, unless directly asked questions. Highly observant. Psychologically sound.

Felix Shingis:  
Superiority complex. Calm and collected. Psychologically sound.

Prance Insa:  
Distant, reluctant to answer questions about his family. Reasonably sound.

* * *

"Leora, hiding something?"  
"She was dodging my questions. It was very subtle, even I hardly noticed it."  
"You also wrote that Neal had past trauma?"  
"It would seem so. Perhaps from his line of work."  
"And you're sure he's fit for duty?"  
The doctor shrugged.  
"It hasn't stopped him yet, and he seems alright otherwise. Well, let's get down to business; Chief, if you would please leave us."  
Bogo nodded and left. The doctor motioned towards a reclining chair underneath an abstract oil painting. The wolf stood still.

"Is this necessary? I have several very pressing matters to attend to, and Bogo is wasting my time with this evaluation."  
"He requested one."  
"You could falsify it."  
"But that would be immoral of me."  
"And who decides what morality is?"  
The doctor began to rub his chin in thought.  
"That is an interesting question. I believe, as well as most others in my field, that morality is what guides us to do the right thing. Tell me, what do you believe is the right thing?"  
"That begs the question: who decides what is right or wrong?"  
Pawvlov contemplated silently.  
"Perhaps… that question is best answered by the consensus of the masses. Something is right if most agree that it is the just thing to do."  
"Then why do you ask me what I believe is the right thing if all that matters is what others think?"  
Pawvlov chuckled.  
"Bogo warned me you might be tricky, but I do have an answer. If you disagree, then something is wrong. Allow me to present a hypothetical situation."

"Very well, I shall entertain your hypothetical."  
"Suppose you are a guard for a keep; your lord commands that all trespassers be slain immediately. One night, as you are making your rounds, you catch a lonely thief with a pilfered sack of gold. Upon interrogating him, you discover that he is only trying to feed his family. You see, he explains, your lord is unfairly taxing the land to the point of starvation. What would you do?"  
"The question is loaded."  
The dog had a puzzled look on his face.  
"How so?"  
"If my orders were to slay any trespassers immediately, I would not have interrogated the thief. What business there he might have is insignificant."  
Pawvlov began furiously scribbling notes into a pad of paper.  
"But consider his family. What of his pups, his wife? Would you let them starve?"  
"If my lord commands it," he answered immediately.  
"Suppose they were there with him, keeping him company, carrying nothing but the rags on their back."  
"I would slay them as well."  
"'Theirs is not to reason why… theirs but to do and die...'" hummed Pawvlov to himself poetically as he finished scribbling.  
"Lord Alfred Tennyson?" inquired Kai.  
"Lord Alfred Venison, actually. How did you know?"

"A hunch. What next?"  
"Another hypothetical: you are tasked with retrieving an important document. You have narrowed down one of the possible locations to a drawer within a burning house, but it could be elsewhere in the city. While you are searching, you hear a pup shriek; you suspect they are trapped. You figure you only have enough time to either check the drawer for the document, or save the pup. What do you do?"  
"I check the drawer," he answered without hesitation.  
The doctor was taken aback, but began to write notes down.  
"You do not find the document, and as you exit, the burning house collapses into ashes; the pup's shrieks fall silent. What do you make of this?"  
"An unfortunate casualty, but nothing could be done."  
"But something could be done, you could have chosen the child!"  
"If I was tasked with a mission, then there was no choice to be had."  
Pawvlov stared at him wide-eyed, but wrote down notes.

"Very well. Now for some standard procedure. Any family issues?"  
"No."  
"Tell me about them."  
"I have no family."  
"None at all? No parents? No siblings?"  
"None to speak of. Next question."  
He scribbled in his notes, and moved on.  
"Any issues outside of work?"  
"No."  
"In work?"  
"No."  
"With friends? People you love?"  
"Everyone I love is already dead."  
The doctor wrote some notes.  
"How?"  
"War."  
"Tell me about these wars."  
"There is nothing to tell. I was called to do my duty, and I performed admirably. That is why I am sitting before you, and not rotting beneath the dirt."  
"Hmm..." Pawvlov tapped with the tip of his pen, before scrawling in his notepad.

"Have you ever thought about hurting or killing anyone?"  
"I don't have to think about it."  
"What do you mean? Have you actually hurt or killed anyone?"  
"I am a soldier, Dr. Pawvlov."  
"Who?"  
"Several meaningless casualties."  
Pawvlov blinked once.  
"How many?"  
"Guess."  
"I do not enjoy playing the guessing game. Give me a number."  
"If Bogo is making me play his game, I may as well have some fun along the way. Guess."

The dog sighed.  
"Three?"  
Kai laughed.  
"A low estimate."  
"Six?"  
"Cold."  
"Ten?"  
"Ice cold."  
"Twenty-five?"  
"Frigid."  
Kai could hear the doctor's heart-beat rise as the numbers rose.  
"One hundred?"  
"You won't get there any time soon at this rate. You should know that I commanded in three wars in my youth."  
"A thousand?"  
"A general, Doctor Pawvlov. Think bigger."  
"Ten thousand?"  
"Over forty million."

Pawvlov dropped his pen and his hand began to shake.  
"W-What do you feel inside? How can you be this calm, after killing so many? How can you even kill so many?"  
Kai smirked, leaning close to the doctor, who backed away.  
"You're a doctor, you should know how easy killing is: all it takes is one little cut, or a wring of the neck. There's really nothing to it. All the trouble is in the guilt, and I feel no such thing."  
"But even you can do the math, forty million… that's over two thousand five hundred a day for forty years!"  
"The impersonal killing of millions can be achieved with astonishing efficiency with a little help from napalm and subordinates."  
The doctor took his notebook in his paws and began flipping through its pages.  
"I've never, in all my life, seen anyone-"  
"And now you know the depravity of man. Write something down so I can leave."  
"I don't understand. What do you gain from this?"  
"I never wanted an evaluation. Bogo is merely wasting my time."  
"I can't give you a pass with a good conscience."  
"Then don't. It makes no difference to me."  
"You… don't want a passing evaluation?"  
"I don't care if you pass me or not. I still get command of my team. Bogo told me I only needed to get evaluated, he didn't tell me I needed to pass one."  
"Well, even if you are not sane… I suppose that you can't be scarred by any sort of whatnot that was described to me."

He picked up his pen and wrote simply:

* * *

Fit for duty.

* * *

"I only hope that you find some sort of retribution for your actions, or whatever it is that you seek. I have a lot of thinking to do. Take this to the Chief," Pawvlov said, before staring at the oil painting above the chair.

Kai took the paper and exited for the office; he passed through winding corridors, up the stairs, and back to Bogo's office. He opened the door, and was greeted by seven pairs of eyes on him.  
"Well?" Bogo asked.  
Kai handed him the paper, and he looked it over.  
"I refuse to believe this."  
"Mr. Bogo, get me a transport. The rest of you, pack light and dress comfortable; you'll leave in an hour."

* * *

Bogo had already left for city hall to prepare for his press conference, but not before laying some choice words on the wolf for inconveniencing him. Everyone had with them a small pack filled with whatever they chose to bring; mostly essentials, but a personal item or two here and there. A truck had been prepared for them, enough to seat seven and still have room for supplies; it had been loaded with rations for two weeks, as well as some bedding supplies and other miscellany.

"Where are we headed, sir?" Leora asked.  
"The six of you are to go twenty miles out to the mountains. Follow the road out west, and about fifteen miles in, take the branching right. Stop at the river and make camp."  
"You're not coming? What's the point then?"  
The wolf looked away.  
"Unfortunately, someone made a grave error and as such, I have to correct it immediately. I will meet with you sometime before tomorrow morning. I still have supplies to bring, so you should take the time to get acquainted with one another, to get on friendly terms. Learn the environment. You should also rest easy, as it's the last time you will be able to do so for a very long time."  
"And if I may ask, sir, why the mountains? Hasn't it rained?"  
"I've watched the clouds, they come from around the mountains. With luck, the field will only be damp."  
She nodded, and went to fetch the rest. Kai took one last look at the truck, and then his team, before he left through the door.

* * *

 **Edit: I'm leaving the old A/N below, but none of it is really pertinent information anymore. This is also the last chapter I'm updating as of now, except for some minor typos in a more recent chapter. The reason for all of these updates was to format them better, as well as some really terrible typos.**

 **Fun Fact: The names of the squad members came by doing clever Googling. Rufus is a subspecies of wolf, specifically red wolf. Bjorn means bear, and Rav means fox in several Nordic languages. Felix sounds close to Felis, from Felis irbis, the previous genus of snow leopard; his last name, Shingis, comes from Shynghyz, the oldest snow leopard in captivity. The other arctic mammals have last names inspired by North European naming schemes. Leora sounds like leopard, and I made her have a mononym because I didn't feel like coming up with a convincing name for her. Prance is something antelopes do, and Insa supposedly means gazelle in Chichewa.**

 **(Old) A/N: Pavlov's dog. I made a funny.**

 **Wow I'm an ass, I keep making promises that I can't keep. Mostly the reason was because I wasn't happy with how the chapter was turning out, so I was rewriting it. On an aside, I think my internal clock may be running on Valve Time. As long as I don't promise anything by Christmas of 2007 I think we should be okay.**

 **If I'm not mistaken, this might be the longest chapter I've written yet. In addition, when I was skimming the past chapters, I noticed an error, and I feel like I should make a correction, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of deleting and reposting the chapter, so I'll just mention it here:  
**

 **In chapter 9 (starting from the prologue), maybe half-way down, when Kai makes his escape after interrogating Kane and talking with Bogo, I wrote "** He sprinted off into the night, making for the Wild Times." **I have no clue why I wrote Wild Times, I should have put Nocturnal District. I guess that's what happens when I write at 4 in the morning after a very long day after getting five hours of sleep the previous night.**

 **Also, I'm changing the title of the story from "A Terminal Desire" to "The Beast of Yesterday"; I'd like to thank Magus Neon for the suggestion, and also I'd like to reiterate that I can't come up with good title or subtitle names on my own. I should learn how to draw so I don't have to use a public domain stock photo of a raindrop as the picture, even though it is a really fucking good stock photo of a raindrop if I do say so myself. I'll probably rewrite the description if I do that, as well. If anyone wants to give either of those a try, feel free to PM me.**

 **Lastly, I've got a lot of time now. If you have questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, or hate-mail that you want to send, PM me. I'll make sure to answer every one, hopefully within several hours to a day. No promises though, we all know how that turns out.**


	12. Chapter IX: A Medical Heist

**Zootopia Central Hospital  
** **Rm. 219**

Nick was by Judy's bedside when a nurse brought in a tray of food; carrots, alfalfa, oatmeal, and a bowl of assorted fruit pieces.  
"Oh, I didn't realize Judy had a visitor, would you like me to bring you something to eat as well?" the nurse asked, placing the tray on the bedside table.  
"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll take anything," Nick replied.  
"Crab and fruit?"  
"Sure."  
The nurse left, and returned momentarily with a second tray of food, handing it to Nick.  
"She asleep?" the nurse asked, turning his head to look at the rabbit.  
"Yeah, but she asked me to wake her up if anything."  
"You probably shouldn't, she needs her sleep; anyways, if you're interested, the mayor's office just sent out a bulletin. The chief of police is holding a press conference in about twenty minutes if you want to watch." The nurse motioned to the television.  
"Chief Bogo?"  
"That's the one. The remote's on the table if you care. Volume switch is on the side." The nurse left, closing the door.

 _Strange_ , Nick thought. _Bogo shouldn't be holding a conference for at least a month_. He reached over Judy for the remote, and turned the television on, switching to ZNN. There, a well-lit podium in what Nick recognized to be City Hall was clearly visible. The banner across the bottom was scrolling "Chief Bogo to give police interim review and special report on latest serial killer" repeatedly.  
"Ahh, shit." Nick said loudly. He gently shook Judy until she awoke. This was something she would want to watch.  
"What's up?" Judy asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.  
"The screen," Nick stated, motioning to the television set.  
"Chief Bogo to give..." Judy began, before interjecting, "But he's not supposed to do the interim for another three weeks!"  
"Wait for it..."  
"Special report on latest serial killer," she read. "Nick, do you think they're talking about-"  
"Without a doubt," he interrupted, knowing what she was going to ask.

They waited and watched in silence as Bogo slowly walked on stage and adjusted the microphone. He talked momentarily with the mayor, who arrived on-stage with him, before clearing his throat and turning to face the cameras.  
"I would like to welcome everyone to the annual mid-year police interim report, as well as thank everyone for showing up on such short notice. I would like to begin by mentioning that crime on average is down 7% from last year, thanks in part to the diligent work of our officers."  
A round of applause went through the room.  
"I would also like to mention that our wider recruitment initiative is paying off, and we have since recruited two more foxes, another rabbit, and another badger, as well as our first camel officer, and our first antelope officer."  
Another round of applause.  
"Now, time to get to the bulk of the presentation. Property crime is down 18% on average: Downtown has the largest leap with 22%, followed by Rainforest District and Sahara Square at 19%..." Bogo continued naming statistics for about fifteen minutes.  
"...Violent crime is down 2% on average: Downtown is down 4%, and most districts have no net increase or decrease. However, Tundratown and the Meadowlands have seen a 1% increase since last year. We are working around the clock to see more officers installed in strategic locations to combat this increase."  
A reporter's paw shot up.  
"Please hold all questions until the end, just a moment more. Our officers have, in total, made 8412 arrests since the start of the year, in connection with any crime; this is down 4% from last year's interim report, but given that last year's interim report was given three weeks later, we can adjust to a net 2% increase from last year. Since the start of the year, 7 officers have died in the line of duty, and 87 have been injured in any way. Deaths are at a net 31% decrease, and injured are a net 7% increase." Bogo looked around the crowd. "I will now take any questions."

Instantly dozens of arms shot up. Bogo pointed at one.  
"The violent crime increase in Tundratown and the Meadowlands, can that be attributed to the 'Night Howler Killer'?"  
"Those districts have been ridden with crime for decades, and we are doing our best to enforce the law. The appearance of the 'Night Howler Killer' has no bearing on these crime statistics."  
Bogo pointed at another raised arm.  
"So the killer is insignificant to the police?"  
"I did not say that. We merely haven't included him in these statistics, as we want to present a general trend."  
"What have the police done to protect the citizens of Zootopia from this serial killer?"  
"We are doing everything we can, but we ask that the citizens also employ some common sense. Do not go out alone at night, walk with someone else whenever you can. Stay safe on your own, and the chance that something bad will happen drops off exponentially."  
Another question was taken.  
"We've heard reports that every victim of the serial killer was in the act of performing a crime, or a past criminal. Can you confirm this?"  
"No comment."  
The next mammal spoke.  
"Have you caught this serial killer yet?"  
"As of now, he still remains at large."  
"So he's still running loose out there, slaying innocents?"  
"The killings appear to have stopped. This usually happens when a serial killer knows they are almost caught; as such, we are very close to closing out this case."  
"What leads do you have?"  
"For the safety of the case, I will not disclose them at this time."

Reporters barraged him with questions exclusively about the mysterious serial killer; the disdain on Bogo's face grew with each passing query, until eventually, he said "No further questions," and walked off stage. One of the mayor's assistants came to the podium to close out the presentation, and soon, the camera feed switched to a talk show with discussion about what was said during Bogo's speech. Nick turned off the television.  
"Wow, they ate him alive," Judy remarked, mindlessly eating fruit from her tray.  
"I wonder… He knows who the killer is, and he could have him in his clutches in minutes if he wanted to, so why did he go to such great lengths to protect him from the media?" Nick asked.  
"Maybe the Chief has faith in him."  
"I'd say it's misplaced," Nick said coldly. Judy sighed, and turned to finish her food; Nick went to do the same. After some time, Nick's phone rang. He checked the number, and grunted in disgust, silencing it.  
"Who is it?"  
"If it's important, he'll leave a message."  
The phone rang again; he checked the number, but this time, turned it off. Two minutes later, Judy's phone rang on her bedside table. She checked the caller ID momentarily with a puzzled expression before answering.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.  
"Who is it?" Nick asked. Judy put up her finger to silence him.  
"Why didn't you answer your phone, Nick?"  
"Damnit. It's him, isn't it? Put him on speaker."  
"So, Nick, why haven't you answered your phone?" the voice spoke.  
"If I knew you would pester Carrots I would have answered."  
"I take it you are still in the hospital?"  
"Yeah, why?" Judy asked.  
"You see, allow me to explain something, madam. Before you were taken to the hospital, I gave Nick a syringe to administer in the event that your heart beat or your breathing stopped. If neither of those happened, he was supposed to burn it."  
"Nick..?" Judy slowly turned to face him, an angry look on her face. He gave her an exasperated expression. _What_ , he mouthed, shrugging.  
"He instead gave it to the labs of the hospital for analysis, which of course, was the worst possible thing he could have done."  
Nick covered his face with his paws.  
"So, Nick. Will you come right your wrong and help me retrieve the syringe, along with any data they may have collected?"  
"No."  
"Allow me to rephrase. Your third task is to come with me and retrieve the syringe, along with any data they may have collected."  
"Shit."  
"I hope this is alright with you, madam?"  
"You had better keep him safe. I swear if he ends up in the bed next door..." Judy began.  
"You have my word."  
"Fine. What do I need to do?" Nick asked.  
"Exit the room and go all the way down the hallway to the right. At the very end is a staircase. Descend to the lowest level. I'll be waiting at the bottom for you."  
"Wait, you're at the bottom of the stairs? How do you have any reception at all?"  
"Why do you think I'm not in the labs? Don't tarry."  
He hung up.

"Well, wish me luck Carrots." Nick gave a nervous laugh. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"  
"Don't say that!"  
"It's gonna happen one of these days, at this rate." He made for the door.  
"Good luck," Judy said, as Nick closed the door behind himself.  
Nick made his way down the long hallway; doctors and nurses shot glances whenever he passed them, before returning to whatever task they were originally performing. The hospital was designed like a web, with the central building housing the emergency facilities and labs, and the outer buildings dedicated to specific purposes, such as intensive care or the maternity ward; the buildings were all connected by long, snaking tunnels. The tunnel Nick was traveling down would lead straight towards the center of the main building, and the stairwell at the end to the labs.

Eventually, Nick exited the intensive care building into a long sky-walk that overlooked the streets below; he stopped to stare at the traffic, before continuing along his path. As he entered the central building, the walkway ended and merged into a hallway that wrapped around the perimeter of the building; dead ahead of him in the wall was a door that read "NO EXIT – Employee Only". Nick took a quick glance left and right; satisfied, he pushed the door open and descended. Four flights of stairs later, nearly at the bottom, he saw a dual set of doors with a scanner; leaning against the door was a wolf wearing a labcoat and badge, as well as red glasses; in his arms were another labcoat. Nick quickly hid behind the railing and peered over; the wolf seemed not to notice him, instead inspecting his paw, turning it over periodically.

"You made impressive time, Nick," the wolf said. "But you are not stealthy."  
Nick descended the remaining flight and approached the wolf.  
"Kai?"  
"Of course, who else? Here, put this on." He handed Nick the labcoat.  
"Where did you get these?" Nick asked, donning the coat. It fit loosely, but it was to be expected. "And what's with the shades?"  
"I took a look around before I called you. Everyone walks in pairs inside; hence, to avoid suspicion, I asked for your help. And if you must know, I'm wearing laser goggles. Not because I need protection from lasers, but because it's more covert than an eyepatch."  
Nick inspected the badge; it was a red fox, but it was clearly not him.  
"You do realize if they stop us, we're totally getting caught, right?"  
"They won't."

The wolf stood upright, cracking his neck left and right. He then pulled his badge to the scanner on the double doors; after a green light and a satisfied beep, the doors automatically swung open. He entered and motioned for Nick to follow. They walked through the halls, making several turns.  
"How did you get in the first time?"  
"Some one didn't shut the door after they entered, so I lagged just behind them."  
"How long were you waiting for me?" Nick asked. "Isn't is suspicious to have two labcoats outside of the door?"  
"Not long. No one entered or exited while I was there."  
The pair passed another duo of mammals; they also had labcoats, but Nick could see that beneath them, they were wearing a set of light green scrubs.  
"Kai, they're wearing hospital uniform, I'm not. They'll find me out!" Nick whispered harshly.  
"They haven't yet, and we've passed several cameras and mammals."  
"Alright; anyways, what's the plan? It looks like we're wandering aimlessly."  
"We are."  
"What?!"  
"It's only temporary. I want to make sure we're not being followed before I go to the labs that have what we came for."  
"And which labs would those be?"  
"Well, there are twelve labs in total, arranged in a circular pattern. I don't know what possessed them to use rectangular flooring, so the numbering is off; while we're walking, I'm memorizing the layout. I've read from the requisitions that they haven't sent any out for external sampling yet, and the labs they are storing it in are numbered three, four, seven, and twelve. It appears that these four right here are the ones."  
Nick looked inside. There were at least four mammals in each lab. In lab seven, they were working with some red substance, which he suspected was the blood.  
"And how exactly do you plan on taking the samples and data?"  
"Well, I could firebomb the labs, which would solve all of my problems. However, I promised Bogo I wouldn't kill."  
"Funny, I didn't take you as the kind who would keep promises."  
"My honor as a man is one of the precious things I have left, and I intend to keep it."  
" _Honor._ " Nick scoffed.  
"Mock me all you want. The alternatives..." He paused to think.

"Hey Kai," Nick started.  
"Yes?"  
"It looks like all of these lab doors are externally sealing. Do you have some kind of knock-out gas on you? You could toss some in there and close the doors, and when they're all out cold, you can go get the data."  
"That's genius, except for one problem. The closest thing I have to a 'knock-out gas' is lithiated ether."  
"I take it that it's not a good knock-out gas?"  
"It is a highly toxic nerve gas and amnesiac, among other things. If I threw the grenade into the room, they would be dead in perhaps thirty seconds. However..." he looked to the ventilation system.  
"What are you thinking?"  
"If I can get to the air filtering system and drop a canister near the ventilator, it would disperse in a low enough concentration that it would render everyone in the labs unconscious, without risk of permanent damage or death. However, you would need a respirator, and it would without a shadow of a doubt set off a toxicity alarm."  
"What's the alternative?"  
"Other than that or brutal murder, I don't see one. We'll need to work posthaste, and hope that whomever the alarm attracts isn't armed."  
He reached past his labcoat and withdrew a small tube with a crescent shape sticking out of one end.  
"How do foxes breathe?"  
"What kind of question is that? With my lungs, I guess."  
"Mouth or nose?"  
"Either? Why is this important?"  
He handed Nick the device.  
"Bite down on the crescent, leave the tube outside your mouth. I don't have a full-face respirator that will fit on you, so that will have to do."  
Nick inspected the odd gadget.  
"Why do you have this? Also are these human-teeth shaped, because I'm not sure this will even fit in my mouth."  
"In the event I lost my mask and needed a backup respirator, I packed one along and hey, it came in handy. Try biting down on it."  
"Yeah, maybe if you packed a real sleeping gas grenade we'd be set."  
He bit down on the bite guard, and closed his mouth around the device, such that only the tube was outside. It was uncomfortable to him, but he could still breathe through it. It would have to be a very temporary solution. He removed it.  
"It works, but it sucks."  
"All that matters is that it works."

They followed the ventilation ducts around the hallways, rounding corners and entering doorways. At consistent intervals, they passed other mammals in labcoats, as well as the odd security patrol every now and then. Eventually, the ducts went through the wall above a doorway with the label "Maintenance". A quick glance around showed that there were no cameras pointed in their direction, or even in any direction in the current hallway. They tried the door, and it was locked. The lock was electronic, and upon attempting to swipe a badge, it buzzed angrily and flashed a red light.  
"Damn, they keep this place locked down really tight. It almost makes me wonder if they're trying to keep something under-wraps..." Nick began, before the wolf put up a paw to silence him. Kai was feeling the door with one paw, and rapping gently with the other, before moving several inches and rapping again.  
"This door is fairly solid," he remarked. "This won't be quiet."  
"What won't?"  
Kai hit the door firmly near the hinges and handle with both of his palms; the strike made a resounding bang that echoed throughout the hallway. The mostly unscathed door nearly fell to the ground (hinges and bolt shattered but otherwise unharmed), but he caught it in the last moment.  
"Inside, now."  
Nick obeyed the command without question, scrambling inside the dark room as Kai put the door back up; the only indication that it was ever knocked down was the fact that the hinges on the inside were broken. That, and the door would fall over if anyone so much as leaned on it.  
"Any smart mammal won't fall for that gag."  
"Any smart mammal won't be working security for a hospital during an evening shift."  
"Fair enough."

Nick turned around to get a look at the room. There were blinking lights that indicated some statuses of whatever device they were attached to, but provided no illumination whatsoever. A small whooshing, droning noise, typical of a fan or ventilator, could be heard off in the distance. The room was otherwise pitch black, and well below room temperature.  
"I can't see anything in this darkness, you got a flashlight on that utility belt?" Nick asked.  
"I thought predators had night vision."  
"Minimal light, not absent light. Common misconception."  
He reached for the light switch, but Kai grabbed his wrist, stopping him.  
"I don't know if the switch will throw a breaker or not. Better not try it."  
"How do we walk if we can't see?"  
"I can see just fine, speak for yourself. Grab my coat and follow me. Don't run into anything noisy."

"You humans are freaks," Nick said, grabbing a fist-full of the wolf's labcoat.  
Kai gave off a quiet chuckle.

They walked slowly through the dark room; Nick was feeling around with his free paw, ensuring he didn't stumble into anything.  
"How big is this room, anyways?" Nick asked, nervously.  
"Why are you scared?"  
"I'm not scared, why would you think that?"  
They stopped.  
"Your heart is pounding. You are perspiring, despite the cold temperature. I know fear, Nick; it was once my livelyhood."  
"How can you..?!"  
"Hear? Smell? A heartbeat is loud, yours especially so; in addition, you probably cannot notice it, but to me, the miasma of animal sweat is overpowering. You might as well be upfront, what bothers you?"  
"It's not important."  
"You can trust me."  
"Can I? You made me kill in cold blood."

"This is about Badgerly, then?"  
Silence.

"… yes," Nick finally responded. "He came at me from the dark, I didn't see him before he got me." He caressed his side, where his own knife had accidentally gone into his flesh.  
"We are alone here, and he is dead. That should be closure enough for you."  
"But what he did to those kits and cubs, the muzzles…" Nick began to cry. "I killed him. The first mammal I ever killed, and it was him. I thought there would be more to it, but I just tore his throat out like an animal."  
"You are an animal, Nick. I am, too; hell, we all are. It's one great big animal kingdom."  
"Your point being?"  
"It's survival of the fittest, and he wasn't fit to survive. They say that it's a hell of a thing to kill someone, to take all that they have and all that they will ever have, but I find that it isn't true."  
"Why not? I still feel like I'm tasting his blood, even now."  
"You're a curious sort, Nick. Even after witnessing first-hand what atrocities he had committed, you still feel rue. That, I will never understand."  
Nick turned his head away.

"However, I want to ask something of you," Kai began.  
"What?"  
"You say you tore his throat out. How did it feel?"  
"Do I really have to explain?"  
"From a psychological standpoint, working through trauma will help get past it."  
"That's not why you're asking, though. Is it?"  
"Observant. I want to know how it felt."  
"What?!"  
"To be wild and free, unrestrained by morality or decency."  
"You're sick, you know that?"  
"I will never know the feeling, Nick. Give me this one satisfaction."  
"Eugh. We were wrestling over a knife when he knocked me over. He was standing over me, about to do me away. I don't know what happened next, but I was on top of him, and my jaws were just… locked around his neck."  
"An automatic response to distress. The body is capable of amazing things."  
"The worst part was, he was begging me for mercy, and I just clamped down harder."  
"Naturally, you were almost killed. Why would you show him mercy?"  
"When you put it like that it makes sense, but… there was so much blood after I crushed his windpipe, I didn't think a badger could even have so much blood in him."  
"Ah yes. Your entire body is practically blood, minus some organs and connective tissues. You probably have a little over three liters, roughly a gallon if I had to wager a conversion."  
"That much? Whatever, I just don't know anymore."  
"What's there not to know?"  
"Why I didn't hesitate."  
"Biology dictates your actions, first and foremost. You didn't hesitate because your predatory instincts demanded you survive."  
"Predation biology is just a myth."  
"If it was a myth, why would any predator have evolved in the first place? Surely they could have all eaten plants and gotten along? No. One animal tried to eat another, and found it was more efficient to eat processed plant energy in the form of meat than to waste their own energy to process raw plant. Your sharp teeth, night vision, claws; all adaptations to help you kill more efficiently. Of course, in the modern age, they have grown obsolete, for the most part. Your pupils, for example, are round instead of slitted like foxes of yore. However, in the rare circumstances of life or death, your body will ensure your survival. Now it is your mind that must catch up. If you dwell on the past and forever live in your sorrows, you will never move forward. Your sorrows and misery, your past, will eat you alive. The faster you learn that you acted in the greater good, no, the _greatest good_ , that being for your survival, the faster you can move on."  
Another pause.

"So, why did you send me to kill Badgerly?" Nick asked uncertainly.  
"I knew about his 'torture chamber', and about all of the techniques he employed in restraining the little ones. I also read about a certain fox who was denied a position in the Junior Ranger Scouts on the basis of being a predator, and about how he was muzzled and beaten. I figured I would see if you could get past your previous trauma, as well as kill one of the most twisted criminals in the city."  
"Okay, now how the fuck could you ever possibly know about that?"  
"A certain rabbit wrote a report about it."  
"Eugh, Judy… You'll be the death of me one day..." Nick muttered.  
"If you ever wish to confront them, I already know where they live, who they're married to (of the ones that are, anyways), where their kids go to school, the works. However, I think we've spent enough time talking. We need to continue with the mission. It's good to see that you've calmed down."  
Nick threw a punch towards the voice, and ended up striking hard plate; he winced, shaking his paw, but was otherwise unharmed.  
"I didn't need to 'calm down', I was fine before."  
"A 'thank you' would have sufficed."  
"… Thank you."  
They continued moving.

The cold was beginning to get to him, despite his fur and labcoat.  
"Gah, it's freezing in here," Nick exclaimed.  
"Well, the room appears, among other things, to be holding server racks. Why it's this cold, I have no idea. In fact, why they have servers on the lab level and not off-site is befuddling; whomever drafted this floor plan should be hung."  
"Servers? Like, data storage?"  
"Those exact kind. They really shouldn't be here: it's not only a security flaw, but also a waste of energy to cool a single room, especially to this extent. Ah, here we are, the vent system fan."  
There was a loud screeching noise as claw cut through aluminum duct; it pierced Nick's ears, even though he lowered them and tried to tune the noise out.  
"Now, Nick," Kai began. "You have your phone, correct?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Turn it off and give it to me."  
"Again, why?"  
"It occurred to me that if they're dumb enough to store data on-site, I can just wipe it out on-site as well. One of my vest pockets is shielded with a Faraday cage, so if you don't want to get another phone, you should give it to me."  
Nick pulled his phone from his pocket and was nearly blinded when the screen illuminated; squinting his eyes, he managed to turn it off and hand it to the wolf. He heard a small click, and soon after, a metal canister bounced against the floor. A quiet ringing noise droned for several seconds, before falling silent. The lights on the server panels went from green, to all red, to off; they were now in total darkness.  
"And now, I need you to bite down on the respirator," said the wolf, before tearing some velcro on his vest to access the gas grenade.  
Nick did as he was told, securing the device in his mouth.  
"How lon' do I nee' to wea' thish?" Nick asked, mouth full.  
"Until we leave. Close your eyes, nostrils, and ears until I lead you out of the room, the gas destabilizes on contact with water into lithium salts, and the immense concentration in this room will probably temporarily blind or deafen you, perhaps even permanently. Three, two, one..."  
There was a loud puff signaling the grenade had deployed; immediately, Nick felt a pull on his shoulder, and he followed the source of the tug.

Soon, the grip on his shoulder released, and he heard a soft metal clang; he presumed it was the door being moved. He was led again, and the light falling upon his eyelids was indication that he was out of the room.  
"You can free your eyes and ears."  
Nick slowly perked his ears and opened his eyes; although he felt a slight tingling discomfort, it immediately faded. He moved one paw to adjust his respirator, and with the other motioned for his phone. After receiving it and checking that it was in working order, he replaced it in his pocket.  
"All set?" Kai checked. Nick nodded. "Now, we head for the labs. In say… three minutes, the gas will be dispersed enough that we can waltz in and take what we came for."  
They set off at a leisurely pace.  
"Strange, the alarm hasn't gone off yet. What kind of lab do they run here, anyways?"  
"May'e you blew i' ou' wif the servers?" Nick asked.  
"I doubt it, unless the mammal who designed this building is severely retarded. No, something is off-putting about this whole building… maybe it was a silent alarm, but then I would have still noticed something. I highly doubt they would use a chemical alarm, or a pneumatic alarm system, that would be very outdated-" Kai rambled.

"Freeze! Don't move!" a voice from behind them shouted as they rounded the corner. They turned around to view the aggressor. "I said not to move!"  
It was a small badger wielding a night-stick. Kai laughed boisterously.  
"Who are you?" he asked, folding his arms.  
"Security patrol two, and you're gonna wait right here until the police arrive!"  
"Did you call them?"  
"First, I'm gonna beat you. Then, the police get to know you're here."  
Nick and Kai merely turned to look at each other, before looking at the badger.  
"What's he got in his mouth?" The badger asked worriedly.  
Kai feigned confusion, then looked erratically around the room.  
"Wait, do you smell that?!" he asked loudly.  
"Smell what?" the badger replied, before sniffing a deep breath; immediately, he coughed violently. "Hey, now that you mention it… something smells… kinda vile."  
"Come, I think we're done with this fool," the wolf barked, leaving and motioning for the fox to follow.  
"Hey, where are… you going!" he threatened, before coughing again. His eye-lids began to droop, as did his arms. "Hey, come… back..." His breathing had already slowed drastically to the point of wheezing, and he was leaning on one knee. "Come back… please."  
He collapsed.

Nick couldn't help but feel bad about the mammal; after all, he was only doing his job. However, it was incredibly stupid of the badger not to call the police before confronting intruders, especially two intruders of considerably larger stature.  
"Will he 'e o'ay?" Nick asked.  
"He had a strong heart, and his breathing is still there, albeit weak. Should the need arise, we are in a hospital."  
They walked up to the large glass windows of the labs; inside, nearly all the mammals were unconscious, save for two of the four in lab seven, who bore gas masks. They were currently panicking, and one was at the landline phone attached to the wall.  
"Nick, round up the samples in the other labs, I will deal with them."  
He nodded and raced to lab three.

When he approached the counter where the technicians were working, he looked around for where the samples might be stored; above were hanging cabinets, and below were a series of shelves. He decided to check the cabinets first. He pulled the handles one-by-one, but they were all sealed; the last one, however, had a key jutting out of it. Giving it a turn, the door swung open to reveal a refrigerated storage with numerous small vials in a styrofoam holder. Nick took the holder, discarded the vials that were not red and, taking the key, made for lab four. There, he repeated his procedure, making for the cabinet on the right. He was delighted to see that the key fit the cabinet as well (which most likely violated lab safety protocol), from which he retrieved three vials, inserting them into the holder.

As he exited from lab four, he glanced quickly into lab seven; inside, he saw Kai conversing with the two mammals, who were slowly backing away from him. One was holding a phone with a cut cord in his paw, which he wielded as a weapon. There was a knife stuck in the wall, thrown with the intent to sever the phone line. As he walked into lab twelve, staring intently at the happenings in lab seven, he felt a piercing pain in the back of his shoulder. Immediately, he dropped the vials on the ground and clutched at the source of the pain: it was a dart. He quickly pulled it out, but as soon as he did, he felt a burning sensation spreading throughout his back, followed by deadening numbness.

Nick cried out in pain, and immediately regretted the decision, as it caused him to drop the respirator. He held his breath and fished to the floor for the device, but lost his balance; he tumbled to the floor, and landed on his hip. The landing jarred his pelvis, and he took a deep breath; instantly he felt a hacking pain in his lungs, and his eyes began to water.  
"I've got one of them, subject appears to be a red fox, mid-thirties. Moving to apprehend the second perpetrator," he heard from above him.  
"What was in the dart..." Nick hacked, vision blurring.  
"Oh, _it speaks_. I take it you caused this gas leak? If so, that's what, three years in prison?"  
"Five," Nick corrected, coughing.  
"Of course the _fox_ would know, probably a serial offender. Come on Forest, let's bag these terrorists and call it a night."  
"Kai..." Nick mustered the strength to yell. "Help."

The wolf emerged from the doorway, red vials in hand, and glanced down at Nick. The two technicians in the room with him absconded empty-handed behind him.  
"I thought I heard a scrimmage." He looked up to face a horse and camel in gas masks and riot gear. "Who the hell are you two?"  
"We got a call about a gas leak, and security footage revealed two suspicious mammals. We also saw you dispose of our night-guard, what was his name again Forest?" the Camel spoke.  
"I think it was Melvin," the horse replied.  
"Something. Either way, you two are-" the Camel tried to say, before being cut off.  
"Slow down, bucking bronco. Everything except the phone call was ancient history. Second, you didn't answer my question: who are you?" the wolf barked.  
"We're security," the horse responded, offended.  
"In riot gear, likely story. Unhand the fox, and I might consider letting at least one of you live."  
They laughed.  
"Kai… You promised… No killing." Nick wheezed.  
"I distinctly remember that I promised to _avoid it whenever I can_. And I cannot resist how much fun this will be."

The horse raised his tranquilizer and shot at the wolf. The first round bounced off of his chest to the floor.  
"That was highly annoying. If you do that again I might have to break something, and that something will most likely be you," the wolf growled.  
The pair emptied their clips at him; most darts deflected off of his jacket, but several embedded themselves in his neck. He reached and pulled them out, flicking them to the side.  
"You know, I hate it every time one of you filthy animals tries to do that. No offense, Nick."  
"None… taken," he hacked.  
They reached for their vests in an attempt to reload, but in the blink of an eye, Kai was upon them, with both of their wrists in his clutches. He maneuvered around them and flipped them both head over heels, crushing their bones in the process. He put his foot on the camel's chest, and began to push his weight on it.  
"Now, you will stay put here, yes?"  
The camel grabbed a baton from his belt and swung it at the wolf's leg; the wolf immediately put all of his weight on the beast's chest, crushing his ribs. As he stepped off, camel gasping for air, he put his foot on the horse's chest.  
"Now, **you will** stay put."  
"Yes," the horse mustered.

Kai stepped off and entered lab twelve. After a minute, he exited, several red vials in hand. He grabbed the styrofoam holder off of the ground, retrieved its vials, and placed them into his vest, beneath his labcoat. Next, he picked Nick up gingerly, and held him in his arms.  
"Horse, Forrest, whatever your name is. How many of you are there?"  
"I won't tell."  
"I will crush you underfoot like your companion. **How many** ," he reiterated sternly.  
"Just us, I swear."  
"Good. If I find that isn't true, I will return. This, I promise."  
"Please don't," the horse whimpered.  
The wolf walked up and tore off their gas masks with one arm, cradling Nick in the other. The camel gasped and fell unconscious, but the horse attempted to hold his breath.  
"Sweet dreams," laughed Kai malevolently.

The duo made for the stairs, and exited. After leaving the underground, the wolf discarded his labcoat, as well as the fox's. He placed the fox on the stairs, and fished in his vest for a syringe, injecting it into the fox's arm.  
"You should be able to walk within several minutes."  
Nick nodded. The wolf went to retrieve a small pack from under the stairs. Inside, he retrieved his dark overcoat, as well as a tranquilizer gun, which he handed to Nick.  
"Why?" Nick coughed.  
"In the event the horse was lying. Non-lethal, true to my word."  
"But you killed the camel!" Nick protested hoarsely.  
"He will live; I pulled their masks because the gas is an amnesiac, especially to the unconscious. I need to leave, as I have other pressing matters to attend to; I know it doesn't mean much to you, but thank you for your assistance today."  
"You could have done everything yourself."  
"I could have, but not without senseless injury. Remember how everyone marched in twos. If I were alone, that would have attracted attention, which I could have dealt with, but at what cost?"

The wolf didn't answer, and instead left up the stairs. Nick could only stare at his tranquilizer gun until he felt well enough to leave as well. He would have a hell of a story to tell Judy.

* * *

 **Twenty Miles Outside of Zootopia  
Concurrently**

At the request of Chief Bogo, Leora was the driver of the caravan. Inside, the mammals were sitting silently as they were driven to their end destination. Soon, they pulled up to a river bank; Leora turned off the vehicle and stepped out. The ground was firm, and only the grass was damp, as Kai had predicted.

The rest of the mammals had joined her.  
"Scenic, huh?" Felix asked, beholding the mountains before them.  
"Sure, but we see these mountains every day," Bjorn replied.  
"Alright, we need to get set up," Leora stated. "We need to take inventory, and start collecting firewood."  
"Firewood?" Neal protested. "But it's hot as hell out here, we'll melt!"  
"Well, not all of us are arctic. Besides, rations need to cook, the sun's going to set, and I don't plan on eating cold food in the dark. Makes you wish he packed rations with flameless heaters, doesn't it?"  
"Well, what else did the wolf pack for us?" Prance asked.  
"You know he's not a wolf, stop calling him that," Rufus interjected.  
Leora rolled her eyes; this was going to be a long week. She strolled to the back of the transport, opened the latch on the door, and swung it open. Inside, stacked rows upon rows of food; to the side, perhaps eight gallons of water, and next to them, a sealed crate with several notes on it.

"Well, we certainly won't starve," she announced.  
"Holy hell, how much food is in there?" Neal asked.  
"Well, a typical mammal takes three rations per day, you probably being the exception in our group, but let's put that aside, since you and Bjorn average out. Three rations per day for seven days is twenty-one rations, for seven mammals that's one hundred forty-seven. Double for redundancy, that's two hundred ninety-four, or about three hundred. There's easily at least a thousand rations in here."  
"Why so many?" Prance asked.  
"That's not what bothers me. He only packed maybe enough water for a day or two."  
"Is he mad?" Bjorn asked.  
"I thought that was already established. He left notes, let's see what they say." Leora took the notes off of the crate and read them aloud: "'I will rejoin you sometime between tonight and tomorrow at noon, I still need to bring supplies.'"  
"He'd fucking better," Neal muttered.  
Leora shook her head and continued.  
"'Take the night to rest easy. Your first task begins tomorrow.' That's all the first one says."  
"What about the next one?" Prance queried.  
"'Inside the crate you will find some bedding materials. Do not worry about the apparent lack of water, I am bringing a water purifier with me tomorrow, and needed to save room in packing.'"  
"If he needed to save room in packing, why the excessive rations?" Rufus commentated.  
"'Worst comes to worst, drink the water from the stream.'" She turned the note over in her paw, but it was blank. "That's it."

"Now what?" Neal asked.  
"Now, we set up camp. Prance, Felix, help me set up here. The rest of you, start looking for firewood, we'll join you when we're done here."  
They split off; half an hour later, after Leora, Prance and Felix were finished, they set out towards the mountain at Felix's discretion. Sure enough, the closer they got to the mountain, the more wood there was to be found, but the longer trek was difficult with arms full of logs. However easier it might have been to take the truck and load it with wood, it was instead safer to leave the food inside; it would also be much smarter to conserve fuel instead of wasting it for firewood hauls. Several hours later, the sun was beginning to set, but they had enough wood stocked to keep a fire stoked for several days.

* * *

Soon, everyone had rejoined and there was a fire roaring between them. They had placed rations to cook, and had seated themselves on the crates that the food had come in.  
"So, Leora, you say you know everything on him?" Rufus asked.  
She shot him a glare.  
"I said I know who he is, and why he came to the chief."  
"So, tell us."  
Everyone looked to her.  
"It wouldn't be right."  
"He doesn't have to know," Neal said.  
"You might be a moral wreck, _fox_ , but I have reasons not to talk."  
"Hey!-"  
"Do you at least know what species he is?" Bjorn asked.  
"I have my theories."  
"Care to share them?" Felix asked, after an uncomfortable silence.  
She sighed.  
"Alright, but **only** if you tell no one." She glanced around, and they all nodded.  
"When you were still in grade school, you all went to the Downtown Natural History Museum, right?"  
More nods.  
"Remember the exhibit they used to put on once or twice a year about primates? I did some thinking; all the skeletons had several things in common: five fingers, either bony or no tails, approximately half to one ton body weight."  
"Yeah, but they also all had flat faces, no claws, and as far as we can tell, no relation to cats or wolves in any way, other than being mammals," Rufus interjected.  
"Hey, I did say it was a theory."  
"They also all went extinct a little over two thousand years ago because they couldn't keep up with climate change and modernization. I think your theory falls apart."  
"How do _you_ explain the five fingers? Or perhaps his stance?"  
"Stance?"  
"I think that tail is fake. Did you see the way he walks? It's like it doesn't weigh anything, he doesn't use it for balance. Then there's the fact he weighs more than Bjorn."  
They sat in silence for several moments.

"Where do you think he is right now?" Prance asked.  
"With luck, getting supplies," Neal replied.  
Leora pulled out her phone. Very weak signal, dwindling on no reception. One missed call from Bogo. She laughed.  
"What's wrong?" Felix asked.  
"I think I know why he chose this spot in particular." She attempted to call Bogo back, but the call dropped. "I can't make any calls."  
"Well, to be fair, he asked us not to talk to Bogo."  
"How did you-?"  
"Who else would you call? I don't take you for the family type."  
She squinted her eyes.  
Eventually their rations had finished cooking. They ate their food amidst Neal and Bjorn's conjectures on who their mysterious trainer really was; it was an enjoyable evening, and soon, as they grew weary of fireside tales, they went to bed one-by-one.

Leora spent several hours staring into the stars well after everyone else had called it a night, transfixed, unable to fall asleep; she knew she should rest, and yet, she had no motivation to sleep. Whether it was because she was a nocturnal species with her circadian rhythm disagreeing with her decision to be awake during the daytime hours, or because her military training taught her to watch over camp while everyone else was asleep, or perhaps because she was afraid of the events that would come tomorrow, she did not know.  
"And so great was the hubris of Icarus, that he looked to the skies with envy," spoke a gruff voice behind her.  
She immediately reeled around to punch the mysterious voice, only to have her fist caught mid-swing. The character behind her was wearing a long coat with the hood up, and only his light gray snout could be seen.  
"Responsible of you to keep watch of the camp, Leora, but you really should get some sleep."  
"Kai?" she asked quietly. He released her fist.  
"The one and only." He pulled up a crate and sat. "I will keep watch, if it bothers you enough to lose sleep."  
"It's not that. I just don't feel like it."  
"I highly recommend you do. Last chance for any fulfilling sleep this week."  
"Something's been bothering me, sir. About you."  
"I suspect it's about your theory?"  
"You listened in?"  
"Indeed I did. I just so happened to free up as soon as you began your conversation."  
"Tell me."  
"You were right."  
"How though? Primates had no snouts, no claws, and I doubt they had red slit eyes."  
"Do I?"  
"What sort of question is that, of course you do."  
He lowered his hood to reveal one eye of blue, and a second of iridescent green; both had circular pupils.  
"But… Rufus told us you had a slit eye, and I thought I caught a glimpse of red, too." An expression of confusion spread across Leora's face.  
"An illusion, a mask that I put up to protect my face. The cat eyes are for intimidation."  
He could see a mix of shame and disgust on her face.  
"Did I offend you?" he asked.  
"Most, if not all, felines haven't had slit pupils in a long time, yet everyone seems to want to call it a 'cat's eye'."  
"The cats and foxes of my time all had them."  
"But… that would make you at least six or seven hundred years old!"  
"Forsooth," he quipped.  
"Your snout is also false then? What of your tail?"  
"Ever the perceptive one, you are. All I have yet to witness is your ability to lead, but I think you'll make a fine captain."  
She reached for his face, but he pulled away.  
"What's wrong?"  
"I'm not one for intimacy. If you must know..." He reached his own paw and passed it through his snout, leaving a trail of smokey vapor that quickly reformed into its proper shape. "The snout is fake. The tail and ears are, too."  
"Fair enough, but why couldn't I scratch you? Your uniform was torn to ribbons, but you were unscathed."  
"Stab plates; similar to the ones your department issues to SWAT officers, except much denser."  
"Is that why you weigh so much?"  
He laughed quietly.  
"It seems nothing gets past you. They are only part of the reason."  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
"Because if I am to lead you, I want you to trust me. Hiding behind a veil of shadows will do me more harm than good."  
"Will you show your real face?"  
"You keep your secrets, and I shall keep mine. Now that I have answered some of your questions, you really should go to sleep."

"I promise you, I'm not tired," Leora protested.  
"Alright," he began, taking a small rectangular box, longer than it was wide, from within his coat and opening it for her.  
Inside were seven small syringes, each labeled with a number from one to seven.  
"What the hell are these? Are you giving me drugs?"  
"Yes and no. Take the first one, it will keep you awake."  
"How do I know you're not roofie-ing me?"  
"Now why would I do that?"  
"Because I am a leopardess; besides, you are a serial killer, how could I possibly understand your logic?"  
"Are you implying you are worth more to me as a common whore than as a prized soldier?"  
No response.  
"I am your ally. As for everyone else, you should put more pride in your skills as a fighter; you should have nothing to fear when you fight like you do. Besides, if I wanted to tranquilize you, I could have done it from two miles out with a rifle, and if I wanted to ravage you, I could do it without the inept practice of tranquilizing."  
She tried to imagine it, but the thought scared her; she shook her head.  
"Fair enough. What do the rest of the shots do?"  
"I'll get to those later."  
She grabbed the first one from the case.  
"Are you sure it's safe?"  
"Would I have given it to you if it wasn't?"  
"Heh, I suppose I shouldn't doubt my commanding officer."  
She uncapped it and stuck it in her leg, before depressing the plunger; there was no immediate effect, so she capped it and gave it to Kai, who placed it back in the case before replacing the box in his coat.  
"That reminds me, why did you kill those mammals?"  
"I am… was, rather, making up for lost time; I was in a prison of my own volition for a very long time."  
"Why?"  
"It matters not why I was locked up."  
"No, I couldn't care less why you were locked away, I want to know why you're 'making up for lost time'."  
"I am an assassin, Leora. I went years and years without killing. Do you have any idea what that's like?"  
"Assassins work cleanly. What you did… it was savagery."  
"If I'm going to kill, why not enjoy myself? After all, you were the animals when we were making laws, and now that you are making laws, I can be the animal." He gave a sinister and disconcerting grin.

They sat for ten minutes before Leora quietly spoke.

"Now what? It's only 1 am."  
"I suppose it's boring, but we wait. You could have slept the hours away, I wouldn't begin before every one of you was awake."  
"It doesn't have to be boring. Tell me about that Ichor you were talking about when you crept up on me."  
"Icarus? I only quoted because I saw you staring into the stars. It's an old tale, and it wouldn't make much sense to you; it comes from a culture where most mammals, rather all animals save for us, were unintelligent."  
"Is Icarus a primate?"  
"In a sense yes, but we consider ourselves mammals before we consider ourselves primates."  
"I want to hear it."

He sighed.  
"I suppose I should begin with the tale of King Minos of Crete."  
"Crete never had a king named Minos."  
"Stories, dear. Not fact."  
"Continue."  
"The tale begins with Minos, son of the king of the gods, Zeus,-"  
"Son of a god? I get polytheism, but how can one be the son of a god?"  
"The entirety of this mythology revolves around gods who couldn't keep it in their pants, so yes, he was the son of a god. If you have a question, could you at least wait for me to finish the sentence first?" he explained, irritated. She apologized.  
"Son of the god Zeus and the princess Europa. Raised in the royal palace of Cnossus, he eventually married Pasiphae, the daughter of the sun god Helios, and ascended to the throne."  
"What does this tale have to do with Icarus?"  
"Soon it shall be apparent. However, his rule was challenged by many, so he prayed to the god of the seas, Poseidon, for a symbol of his divine right to rule over the people. In response, a pure white bull rose from the sea to him; he was allowed to showcase this bull, under the condition that he sacrifice it to Poseidon in his honor."  
"That's barbaric!"  
"Keep in mind, these myths were written with the thought that all animals and mammals except for the writers and their kind were incapable of intelligent thought. To them, a bull was just another animal, much like a bird or fish to you. So, he paraded this immaculate beast around, and to his people, there was no question: he was their ruler. However, the time came to sacrifice it to Poseidon, but Minos did not want to; it was too beautiful a beast, and he dared not part with it. Instead, he took another bull from his vast pastures and sacrificed it in the white one's place. This enraged Poseidon, who in turn sent Minos' wife Pasiphae into a mad lust for the white bull. She spent hours of every day by it, and then came to the point where she desired to mate with it."  
"Eugh."  
"Make of it what you will. As a result, Minos contracted Daedalus, Icarus' father, to create a hollow wooden cow for Pasiphae to hide in, if only to return to appease her madness. Naturally, as with all meddling of the gods, after she bore the bull's child, nothing had changed: she took pleasure in being the bull's adulteress."  
"Are all of your stories this far-fetched?"  
"These stories are Greek, and… yes and no. Some of them get crazier, most are much milder."  
"Alright, what of this bull-child?"  
"The child was named Asterion, and had the face of a bull, and the body of a man."  
"Man?" she asked.  
"Us," he replied; she nodded. "Minos sought the council of oracles across the land, and they bade him to lock the beast, the 'Minotaur', the 'Bull of Minos', in a dungeon. As such, he contracted Daedalus again: this time, to build the Labyrinth."  
" **The** Labyrinth? What's so special about this one?"  
"It's where the word originates. It was inescapable, built on an island far from any other land. Anyways, after Daedalus' meddling, Minos locked him and his son Icarus in the highest tower of the Labyrinth. To escape below would be suicide, as it would mean drowning by the ocean, or being eaten by the Minotaur."  
"Why would he lock him up?"  
"Daedalus revealed the secret of the Labyrinth to Minos' daughter Ariadne, who in turn revealed it to the king of Athens, Theseus; that, however, is a tale for another time. Icarus and Daedalus sat in that tower, kept company only by their manuscripts and the seagulls that frequented. Icarus would oft stare into the stars, dreaming to fly with the gulls. One night, an idea drifted into the mind of Daedalus: he would use his candlewax to bind the dropped feathers of the gulls into wings, such that they could don them and fly away towards the mainland."  
"That would never work; you can't design wings that provide enough lift to carry a mammal off of the ground."  
"Bats can fly, and are they not mammals? Either way, you forget that this is only a _story_."  
"So how does it end? Do they make it back?"  
"Daedalus put on his wings, and gave his son Icarus a set as well. He warned Icarus not to fly too low, for the wings would take on water and be too heavy, nor too high, for the heat of the sun would melt the candlewax and they would fall apart."  
"The sun doesn't work like that," she muttered.  
"I can stop, if you don't like the story."  
"Sorry."  
"However, as soon as they took off, Daedalus went at a steady pace, but Icarus was so overjoyed with the thrill of flying, that he drifted up and down, left and right, and all about. Daedalus repeated his warning, but Icarus ignored it. As the gulls rose higher, Icarus dared to follow them, to experience the full thrill of flight. However, his father's warning proved true, as the candlewax began to melt. Daedalus called to his son to fly lower, but Icarus did not realize the peril he was in until it was too late. His wings fully dissolved, he began to lose altitude until eventually, he had nothing strapped to his arms but the belts that the wings were once attached to. He plummeted into the water; Daedalus was overcome with grief, but could not stop to help, lest he suffer the same fate. He watched as his son drowned in the nameless sea."  
Leora covered her mouth with her paws.  
"Daedalus made it to Sicily, where he managed to start anew, and eventually, the ocean current carried Icarus' body to an unnamed island. Much later the hero of legends Heracles came upon the body, and, recognizing it, buried it upon the island and named it, as well as the sea, after Icarus."  
"The Icarian sea!" she exclaimed, having made a connection.  
"The one and same, next to the island of Icaria. I'm glad to see they still teach geography."  
"But I don't understand, what is the moral supposed to be in this story?"  
"Hubris is a fatal fault."  
"All he was guilty of was wanting to fly."  
"Men are not meant to fly, simply flying as Daedalus instructed should have kept him content, and yet, he wanted more and more. I agree it seems unfair, and perhaps the tale of Bellerophon is a better one of hubris. Every story has a moral, and some convey them more clearly than others."

Leora paused for a minute.  
"And what of the bull-child, the Minotaur?"  
"That, Leora, is the tale of Theseus."  
"I want to hear it."  
He laughed.  
"Very well, but try not to interrupt me as much this time, or we'll never get through; it's a long one."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm trying a new way of spacing paragraphs so it's not just one big pile of text. Hopefully it makes it easier to read, but let me know. Also I hope there are no typos, since this is nearly twice as long as most of the other chapters (and the longest chapter thus far for sure), and it gets difficult to proofread after staring at fifteen pages of text for a few days.**

 **This chapter was fun to write, I just hope it's fun to read, too. Also I hope future chapters are going to be easier to write, since this took several days longer than intended, so my apologies about that.**

 **I should also clarify that I got a review and a couple messages saying Kai isn't crazy. I'm trying, but it's hard to write in crazy when there aren't too many opportunities for it. However, I can almost guarantee (but don't hold me to this) that within three or four chapters shit is gonna hit the fan. Like, ruthless and sadistic insanity. I'll try to make it work in the next three or four, but I need to wrap up his squad's training and get through a side plot or two.**

 **I don't want to drag the after note on too long, but I feel obligated to mention my vacation ends soon; not that it will influence the update frequency too much, but if there's no update for 10 days, I'm most likely not dead. I'm doing a lighter course-load for the summer semester with some philosophy, ethics, and logic to break the monotony of engineering, so if the chapters get philosophical all of a sudden, that's probably why. I'll try not to let it affect the grand scheme of things too much.**


	13. Chapter X: Training Begins

Neal was running down the streets of Tundratown; he didn't know why, but he had a bag in one paw, a gun in the other, and the police were chasing him. Brick and mortar stores whizzed by as he rounded corners with precision, evading his pursuers with stunning efficiency. He made the left past the Mort & Son Fish Market, the right past the J. J. C. Jewelry Store, but the chase never let up.

He made a fatal mistake with his last turn, a left just past the Olde Tundratown Candy Shoppe, only to find a blockade set up; he turned his head to see that his pursuers had caught up with him, drawing their tranquilizers.  
"Don't move!" they shouted, drawing closer.  
As he raced up the stairs of the store, a young polar bear cub happened by chance to exit out the door, lollipop in paw—perhaps spending his well-earned allowance on candy, given leave by his parents for his first trip alone out of the house, just down the street, well in plain sight. His body acted out of instinct, and he grabbed the polar bear around the neck, putting the gun under its chin.  
"Come closer and the cub gets it! I swear!" He didn't know what he was saying. Why was he doing this? Something seemed off about the whole situation, and yet… so familiar.

The stand-off with the police dwindled on for half an hour. They brought in a negotiator with a megaphone, but Neal would not take part in the discussions. Half an hour turned into an hour, which turned into two hours.  
"Give it up, we have you surrounded!" he heard.

Suddenly, he heard the faintest whisper in the back of his head.  
 _I can take the shot_. Then, the cop in front of him replied over his radio, as if he could hear Neal's thoughts.  
"Are you sure?"  
 _I can do_ this, he heard again.  
"Go for it."  
 _Whoosh_. The action of a tranquilizer resonated in his mind. Instinctively, he raised the child up and stepped back. A dart just grazed the fur on his arm and pierced the cub in the neck. Where did the titanic strength to lift a polar bear, even a polar bear cub, come from?

He dropped the cub and bag, and raised his gun; immediately, officers from all around opened fire, and he was darted with far more than the lethal dose of tranquilizer. As he fell over, life draining from his eyes, he looked into the glass of the shop and saw his reflection: he was a polar bear? What was this nightmare? He managed to turn his gaze to the rooftop across the street, where he saw the barrel of a rifle jutting down; behind the rifle, he saw the muzzle of a white fox, staring over the rifle, with an expression of horror on his face.

He knew why this was so familiar.  
He was once the white fox, and it was his dart that killed the cub.

* * *

 **20 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
10:30 am**

Neal awoke in cold sweat; his heart was racing, his breathing heavy. It was always the same nightmare, and yet he was never prepared for it. It was always a new experience every time. He looked around; everyone else was already up. Some were eating, some were lounging. However, all of them were staring at him.  
"You're finally awake," chuckled Kai.  
"What's wrong, why is everyone looking at me like that?" Neal asked, worriedly.  
"You just shouted 'No!'."  
"You also overslept by about two hours," Felix added.  
"Shit!" Neal exclaimed, throwing off the thin blanket that covered him and rushing to get dressed.  
Everyone save for Kai averted their eyes.  
"Neal, why are you naked?" Bjorn asked.  
"What, it's fucking hot out here," he replied, quickly dressing, "Don't tell me you wore clothes to bed by the fireside."  
"Then don't sleep by the fireside with a blanket, dip-ass," Felix guffawed.

He grabbed a ration and tossed it by the fire.  
"What did I miss?" he asked.  
"Kai was just finishing up some myth, Heracles I think. Pretty good story," Prance answered.  
"Good enough for Leora to be up all night listening to him, apparently," Bjorn said.  
"When did he get here?" Neal asked.  
"Around half past midnight," Leora stated.  
"Oh, so you two lovebirds were reminiscing about what could be for nine hours?"  
Leora looked extremely annoyed, while Kai only laughed.  
"Your sense of humor will not last the week if that's the best you can do."

"Speaking of which, what are we doing for the next seven days? Surely not just camping out?" Bjorn asked.  
"No. First, however, I have something that everyone needs to take."  
He pulled from under his coat five small boxes, four of which were identical in dimension, and one of which was slightly smaller. Each one was lacquered with a green letter on top, which the mammals presumed to be initials. The smaller one he gave to Prance, and the others he distributed to the rest, save for Leora.  
"Administer the shot labeled '1'," he stated.  
"Why? What are the others?"  
"Just take them," Leora followed up.  
"What about her, why doesn't she get one?"  
"I already did. Something about 'no fatigue'. That's why there are seven in the box, presumably so we don't get worn out for the week."  
"That's an excellent theory Leora, but I have six." Prance interjected, nervously.  
"As usual, your theories fall flat," Neal said, laughing.  
"As usual, her theories are very close. That shot is _precisely_ so you don't get worn out for the week, and it lasts seven days," Kai rebutted.  
"So wait… her 'monkey theory' was right?" Rufus asked.  
"More or less. Everyone took the shots, right?"  
Everyone nodded, but Rufus spoke again.  
"So what happened to your cat's eye?"  
"I never had one."  
"But your weight, the five fingers-"  
"Leora can explain, if she feels like it. You'd better be nice to her."  
They looked to her, and she grinned widely.  
"Not a chance in hell, boys."  
They all gave a disappointed look, turning back to their original tasks.

When they finished eating, Kai addressed them.  
"I think it is time I laid out the expectations for the coming week. First, you will have two hours every day with which you may do whatever you please. You can expect six meals a day, no longer than fifteen minutes each."  
"Hold up, six meals? Who could possibly eat six rations a day?" Neal interrupted.  
"You will probably starve if you do not. Expect to train for the full week straight. I will teach you advanced combat and some brief tactics. Questions?"  
"When is curfew?" Leora asked.  
"Curfew?" Kai asked, curiously.  
"When can we expect to be in bed?"  
"I think you misconstrued the statement 'full week straight'."  
"Hold on," Prance interrupted. "They're all at least partially nocturnal, if not fully, so they might survive; I can't go seven days of training without any sleep."  
"Why do you think I had you take those injections?"  
"Oh shit," Leora muttered. "You really aren't gonna let us sleep, are you?"  
"Sleep takes at least eight hours a day. Extrapolate that across a week and you'll find that it takes up two full days, and then some. So no, you aren't going to sleep."  
Everyone grumbled.

"Now that you are all fed and prepared, let us begin. Are you ready?" he asked.  
"Yes," was the unanimous response, everyone standing now.  
Instantly, Kai gave a high kick towards Felix, knocking him to the ground; he followed up with a backhand to Rufus, before sweeping the ground with his leg, knocking the wolf over. As he stood, he thrust his palm into Bjorn's ribs, grabbed Neal by the scruff of his neck, lifted him off of the ground, and threw him into Leora; she barely caught him, stumbling in the process. He next grabbed one of Prance's horns in his left paw, and threw him to the ground. He finally leaped at Leora, planting his foot in her chest and pinning her to the ground. From start to finish, his assault lasted three and a half seconds.  
"What the hell?!" she shouted, as he stepped off.  
"You said you were ready, and I daresay, you all failed miserably."  
"At least give me some warning before you throw me by my neck," Neal complained.  
"The first rule of engagement: always be prepared to act in self defense."  
"Noted," Bjorn groaned, sitting up.

"Again," Kai commanded.  
"Can we get a minute?" Rufus asked, massaging his cheek.  
"I warned you that this training would be toilsome, but I will wait. Attack when you are ready," he spoke, clasping his paws behind his back.

* * *

Three attempts later, and they had only slightly more success than the first. They lasted several seconds longer with each successive run, but still had not landed a single blow on him. He, however, had bruised, scraped, and beaten them senseless. Leora felt their fifth attempt would be different, however.

He had given them time to discuss a strategy, and had promised not to listen in; although he had not anticipated their previous two strategies, he defeated them nonetheless. She could not be certain if it was because he lied, or if it was because he was extremely good, but she surmised it to be the latter. Their new strategy consisted of the following: they would first surround him, with Leora and Rufus from the front, Prance and Felix from the back, and Neal and Bjorn to either side; next, they would charge from all directions at once, with Rufus to go for his legs, Bjorn to hold him tightly, Felix and Leora to go for his vitals, and Neal and Prance to keep him busy. It seemed foolproof, but would require perfect execution.

They slowly circled him, standing about ten meters away; he stood still in the field, paws clasped behind his back, eyes closed. Leora held her hand up, giving the coordinated signal for when they would begin their assault. As soon as they were all in position, she gave the sign. They immediately broke into a sprint; Kai's eyes shot open, darting around, evaluating his surroundings to choose his next move. As soon as they were five meters away, he reached into his coat and removed from it a canister, pulled the pin, and dropped it at his feet; half a second later, when they were almost upon him, he leaped gracefully into the air, and the canister exploded with a bright flash. In mere moments, they were all on their backs, or on their knees; he had taken them while they were blinded.  
"Hey, you didn't say you would use equipment!" Neal cried out.  
"I never said I wouldn't," Kai replied. He closed his eyes again in meditation.  
"We would have had you if it weren't for the flashbang, right?" Leora asked.  
"It's not unreasonable to believe that."

His nonchalant behavior and the futility of the exercise outraged Leora; she failed to see the point of fighting against a clearly superior opponent, who always had a trick up his sleeve. They would have had him with that last attack, and he knew it. In her ire, she extended her claws and raked them across his unsuspecting face, leaving deep wounds that bled profusely.

Instantly, his paw shot out and seized her throat, clenching tightly, lifting her off of the ground; she attempted to call out to the others for help but she could only make strained gasps, and hardly that. Slowly, he fluttered his eyes before opening them; his blue eye was normal, but his green had a small trickle of blood coming from above, seemingly from nowhere, running across it, before vanishing below. His fur was unstained, but blood dripped from his chin and flowed across his eye; the effect would have intrigued Leora, had she not been struggling for oxygen.  
"Stop!" Bjorn commanded, grabbing at Kai's arm. The action was noble, but futile, for his arm was static. He took a deep breath in before releasing Leora to the ground, whereupon she crumpled helplessly retching for air; small pinpricks on her neck where his claws held her in a vice-grip slowly oozed blood.

"My apologies. I let my reflexes get the better of me," Kai spoke, holding his paw to his face to cover the wound. He turned to walk for the mountains, speaking over his shoulder. "Two hours recess. I need to retrieve some supplies."  
"Can we go into town?" Prance asked.  
"I don't care what you do as long as you are back here in two hours, and as long as you don't follow me."  
They stared as he walked off into the distance.

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
** **Precinct One**

"Leora!" Bogo shouted. "Why weren't you answering my calls?!"  
"Sorry, sir. He took us far out of the city, there's no reception."  
"Well isn't that convenient? I got word that Central Hospital had been attacked by terrorists; no evidence except for a lonely tuft of red fox hair, and two lab technicians who refuse to speak."  
"Why are you telling me this, sir?"  
"Because it so happens that your 'boss' wasn't with you when this attack happened, was he?"  
"No, sir."  
"And this is the second time we can implicate a mysterious red fox."  
"Second?"  
"Remember Badgerly? We found red fox DNA in a pool of blood; no matches with anything in our database yet, and although we can't be sure if the wolf was there, it fits his style. Savage, never leaves any evidence."  
"Are you suggesting he has an accomplice?"  
"Looks to be that way, and I think I might have a lead..."  
"Sir?"  
"I wouldn't want to hold you if you only have two hours. No one knows what he might do to you next, given your..." Bogo motioned towards her neck. "Dismissed."

Leora left the office and joined the rest who were waiting in the lobby downstairs. They had all taken the two hours to wash up and find suitable gear to bring back with them; they didn't anticipate on fighting for a full seven days, and most of the outfits they had originally brought wouldn't last them as long as they had hoped.

"I still don't get it, why did you claw him? What's wrong with you?" Neal asked as they went back to the vehicle.  
"He nearly strangled me and you ask what's wrong with me?" she replied, massaging her neck gingerly.  
"Hey, all I'm saying is if you nearly took out my eyes, I'm pretty sure I'd want to strangle you, too."  
"Forget what you're arguing about for a moment," Rufus interrupted. "Did you see his face?"  
"What of it?" Felix asked.  
"Considering how bloody Leora's claws were, and how much dripped from his chin, you'd expect to see at least a spot on it."  
"It's a mask," Leora interjected. "A lie, an illusion; it's not his real face."  
"What?" Rufus inquired, curiously.  
"Did I stutter?"  
"No, how can a mask be that realistic? And even so, how did you not shred it, how is it not bloodied?"  
They all stood just outside of their transport for several moments in silence, staring at Leora.  
"I don't know," she replied, climbing into the driver's seat; the rest entered, and they made their way out of the city.

"Something seems off between you and him."  
"If you knew his secret, you'd feel uneasy, too."  
"Then tell us," Felix chuckled.  
"That would complicate things, and I doubt you would still follow him blindly if you knew."  
"If we promise to pretend that we didn't hear what you're about to say, will you tell us?" Neal asked.  
"You won't hold that promise."  
"We're better to our word than you think," Prance spoke, insulted.

Leora stared at their faces in the rear-view mirror; they stared back, eagerly awaiting the truth.  
"The serial killer that's been going around, surely you've all heard of him," Leora started.  
"The Night How-" Neal interjected.  
"I swear, if someone else says that phrase one more time..."  
Neal gave a dejected look.  
"But yes, that's the one. It's him."  
"What?" Rufus questioned.  
"Again, did I stutter?"  
"You're lying," Bjorn spoke surely. "Bogo wouldn't send us out of the city, alone and with no contact, with a serial killer."  
She leaned over to stare at him.  
"The Chief gave into his demands. The alternative was that he would continue his rampage."  
Everyone looked bewildered.  
"Aaand… you care why?" Felix asked. "Our jobs are to act as his subordinates. Not to care about his judgment calls."  
"We're cops. Our jobs are to save lives."  
"For all you know maybe we're just misinterpreting his actions. Maybe what he's doing will save more lives than it will harm. After all, I'm sure you've all heard that his victims were criminals, violent offenders."  
Everyone gave him a wild look.  
"What? Call me devil's advocate, but maybe we're looking at it the wrong way," Felix elaborated.  
"I'll believe it when I see it," Leora spoke solemnly; they sat in silence for the rest of the drive.

When they pulled in, Kai was sitting on a box, head perched on his clasped paws.  
"You're twelve minutes late," he said simply.  
"What did you need to fetch?" Neal asked, looking around.  
"Medical supplies, some armaments, miscellany for training."  
"Medical supplies? We already brought gauze, splints, antiseptic; do you expect anything worse to happen?" Leora questioned.  
"That depends. Can your gauze fix broken bone in an hour and a half? I have to plan for the worst case, and it occurred to me how fragile all of you are. In any case, we need to resume."  
"We want a condition from you," Leora demanded.  
"Oh?" he replied, amused.  
"No equipment."  
"And why, pray tell, would I go without my battle equipage? This is supposed to be an exercise for you, not for me." he asked.  
"You made us fight without any, while you had all of your gadgets," Leora responded.  
"Yes, except it's one on six." he looked them up and down again. "I suppose I could level the playing field, but on two conditions of my own."  
"Which are?"  
"First, I keep the mask. I don't want your underhanded tactics robbing me of my sight. Second, I am allowed to fight at my full strength."  
Leora waived her hand in approval. First, he slung off his coat and, folding it carefully, placed it on the crate that he was previously sitting on. Next, he unbuckled his vest, dropping it to the ground; it landed next to him with a very loud thud.  
"How heavy are those plates?"  
"Very."  
He reached to his belt; suddenly, his fur began to melt into smoke. Shortly after, his tail and ears, followed by his snout faded into shadows. Lastly, his facial features gave way to the mask beneath. He reached to his gauntlets and removed them, revealing thin gloves underneath; he placed them on the crate with his coat. All he had left now was the clothing he wore, and his mask.  
He moved twenty paces into the field, and they stepped to form a ten meter circle around him.  
"Well?" he spoke. "What tactic will you employ this time?"

Slowly, they closed in on him, staying attentive to anything he would attempt. His head made slow movements, indicating he was watching his surroundings, thinking intently.  
"I surrender," he spoke, sitting on a large rock next to him.  
"Not buying it," Bjorn replied.  
"The only way I can get out of this predicament is to seriously maim one of you."  
"You are unarmed, and like you said, it's one on six. How could you ever do that?" Felix laughed.  
Kai broke into a sprint, charging Felix; the snow leopard swung his fist, but his opponent ducked, sending a powerful palm strike into his ribs. A loud cracking noise emanated, echoing through the field, and Felix was knocked backwards several meters.  
"Do not goad me, child."

Felix coughed up bright red blood, struggling to get on his knees. Prance took off to help him.  
"You just broke at least six of his ribs, probably collapsed his lung," Prance spoke. "We need to get him to a hospital."  
"Actually, I only broke five, and his lung is perforated, not collapsed."  
"Are you serious?! He needs a doctor!"  
"Leora, you learned field medicine at your military academy, did you not? Come, show me what you are capable of."  
"I specialized in field logistics and team leadership, not medicine," she responded.  
"And I can see you are a capable leader, but your teammate needs you; will you help him?"  
"I don't have any supplies to treat internal injury," she said, kneeling by Felix's side. "Neal, get a spool of compression wrap from the kit. Prance, help me sit him up gently."  
The fox ran and searched through the kit, before returning to her with a small roll of elastic bandage. She took it and felt Felix's chest; satisfied, she began to wrap the bandage around him. He yelped complaints, but fell silent shortly. She turned to face Kai.  
"I don't suppose you have a way to treat his lung that doesn't involve a hospital?"  
He walked over to his vest and fished from it a syringe, before throwing it to her.  
"And this will solve all of our problems?"  
"No, but I don't want to waste my short supply of panacea on such a minor injury," he responded.  
"You call this minor?!" Felix yelled at him, before coughing a slight amount of blood and clutching his chest.  
"Relatively speaking, yes."  
"And what sort of major injuries would you use this 'panacea' of yours on?"  
"Cerebral haemorrhage, severed spine, ruptured heart, hypovolemia compounded with another problem..."  
"I'd reckon a punctured lung belongs on that list," Prance suggested.  
Kai deliberated for several moments, before fishing in his vest for a second syringe, trading it for the first. Leora inspected it: blood red fluid in the vial, with a milky-white suspension that flowed around hypnotically. She uncapped it and injected it into Felix's arm.  
"Keep him upright, hold him still. It will burn him, and if he hurts himself flailing around, then we'll just be adding to the list of problems," Kai commanded. Sure enough, the feline began to yell obscenities and kick wildly; they did their best to hold him still, and when Bjorn stepped in, he was immobile again. "Give it half an hour."  
"Half an hour? He might bleed to death internally in that time!" Prance protested.  
"Oh, the bleeding is long since stanched. I meant for his ribs to heal."  
"His ribs? I thought you were joking when you asked if our gauze could fix broken bone in an hour and a half."  
"Such is the power of science. I think that perhaps I should level the playing field a little further. Those boxes, with the numbered injections, I want you to administer the rest of them."  
"And what, pray tell, are they?" Leora questioned.  
"In no particular order: one is a synapse pathway optimizer, one is for bone density, two are for muscle density and strength, one is for metabolism, and the one extra in every box except Prance's are a stabilizing and binding compound for carnivores."  
"So, steroids?"  
"If you want to call them that."  
"I don't feel comfortable using performance enhancing drugs," Neal chimed in.  
"Your technique is good, but you are too fragile, too weak and too slow to stand any semblance of a chance against me. In other words, without them, you might as well be trying to catching smoke."

Everyone looked uncertain, but eventually took the shots as asked. When Felix was well enough to stand, they gave him his box as well.  
"Well, we have wasted a lot more time than I would have wanted today, but I believe we are ready to actually begin," Kai spoke after several minutes.  
"Actually begin? So we've just been wasting time?" Leora asked.  
"Well, I prefer to think of it as a warm-up."  
"So what's the actual exercise?"  
"Leora, get ready to spar."  
She put her paws up.  
He flew at her with a variety of attacks, all of which she parried or blocked; although blocking caused her pain and would most likely bruise her, it didn't result in her bones breaking, which pleased her. She threw several punches of her own, which felt faster than before; they still didn't connect, but she could almost feel that they were fighting on level ground now. Eventually, he ceased his assault.

"Excellent, and to think that I would have to actually train you all."  
He spent several hours, well into the night, sparring them one at a time until he was satisfied with their ability to fight. After they ate, he stood before them:  
"Now, we train with weapons," he spoke with excitement in his voice, throwing a knife to the ground and drawing one for himself.

* * *

 **Zootopia Central Hospital  
Rm. 219**

Nick was on his way out of the hospital when someone knocked on the door. He opened it to reveal Chief Bogo, in full uniform.  
"Wilde, I thought I might find you here," he spoke.  
"Chief, how're you?" Judy spoke.  
"Hopps, I'm glad to see you're alright. I need to speak with Wilde alone, so we'll be outside."  
They exited into the hallway, where Bogo stood menacingly over Nick.

"Wilde, what do you know about the wolf. Speak," he demanded.  
"Chief, what's wrong? You sound upset, desperate; it's not like you."  
"I need the truth. You know him. I suspect he has an accomplice, a red fox. _You wouldn't happen to know anyone fitting such a description, would you?_ " Bogo asked menacingly.  
"Nothing comes to mind, Chief," Nick lied.  
"So, if I were to take you with me and do some testing, nothing would come up?"  
"I doubt it, I want him gone more than anyone, after what he did to put Judy and me here on more than one occasion," Nick lied again, motioning to the hospital corridor. "Actually, if it'll do any good to your investigation, let me help."  
"No," Bogo stated. "That won't be necessary. Someone robbed the hospital labs for something, but I can't seem to find out what. The only shred of evidence we have is a tuft of red fox fur, and two techs who refuse to talk. Something about 'dire consequences'. It's the same thing with the Badgerly case; a pool of fox blood and nothing else. All signs point to it, so I may as well ask: can it be that he might be a fox?"  
"I doubt it chief, he's much too tall and mangy. But, I think I might have a theory."  
"What is it?" Bogo asked, eyes narrowing.  
"Is it possible that there's perhaps a second culprit, completely separate from the first, who's mimicking the wolf's style because he thinks he can get away with it? That would explain the sudden appearance of evidence, where before there was none."  
Bogo thought for a minute.  
"I'll consider it. Take care, you two. I'm sorry for any inconvenience I might have caused." He turned and began to walk down the corridor.  
"Let me know if you find anything," Nick yelled after him. Bogo waved, before vanishing past the corner.

Nick breathed a deep sigh of relief; that was the hardest he had ever had to bullshit in his entire life, and he had barely managed to pull it off. He peeked his head into the room to tell Judy his goodbyes, and left for home. The entire way back, he couldn't help but feel that someone was following him, but when he turned to check, all he could see was the dimly lit street.

* * *

 **A/N: I think I caught all the typos, but Murphy's Law. I also finally get to practice a real flashback after the prologue.**

 **This chapter is kind of lacking for several reasons: one, I had to make preparations and plans for my birthday; two, and I'll be dead honest, I've been writing by the seat of my pants for the last fourteen chapters, and I've hit a writer's block. It's probably really obvious since characters tend to do total 180s and back again in the span of two chapters. I know what I want to have happen in maybe a chapter or two from now, and several chapters from there on (probably all the way to the end, intermittently), but how to get there... that's a different story. I'm entirely afraid I'll write myself into a snafu and end up in an 'only the author can save them now' situation, so I've been planning ahead before I write anything down. I think this is the fourth rewrite of this chapter so far, since I couldn't keep everyone's character straightened out until now, but now I'm getting off topic. Maybe I could just procedural abstraction my way to the next chapter, with some deep magic and heavy wizardry?**

 **Speaking of planning ahead, I'm starting to plan out a new story with plot, character sheets and everything; no 'writing by the seat of my pants' this time. Instead of flying all over the place, I think I'll focus on Nick; no relation at all to this story, but I might borrow some snippits or characters or locations that I think I've done well. I feel like this story is really drifting from what I originally wanted to write, which is fine (I don't know if I want to finish this story, or spend all of my efforts on a new one), but I really do want to write a classic 'Shakespearean tragedy'-esque story. Maybe if I finish that I'll try a feel-good story, but who knows.**

Also the reviews have just enough sarcasm in them to keep me going about my day. I really love it. 11/10. Oh, and philosophy courses are dumb, so feel free to ask me about that.


	14. Chapter XI: Rescue Amidst the Fireworks

Nick had reached the doorway to his apartment; the entire journey back had felt uneasy, as though he was being followed, and he was glad to be back to the safety of his home. He already had his key in paw from several blocks ago, in case he had to make a confrontation, and inserted it into the lock. As he turned it, he noticed that it gave very easily; the door was already unlocked.  
 _Strange_ , thought Nick. _I remember locking the door on my way out, unless…_  
The possibility of intruders frightened him. He was unarmed, alone, and it was already night out. If anything happened, no one would find him until morning, by which time he could be dead, or worse. He didn't dare call the police, seeing as Bogo was already suspicious of him. He turned the doorknob and entered, cautiously.

As he opened the door, he noticed a figure sitting in the chair in the back of the room, lit by the moonlight from the window.  
"Kai?" Nick asked, closing the door behind him. No answer. "If you wanted to meet, you could have done so less mysteriously, and with advanced warning."  
"So you do know him," replied the mysterious silhouette.  
Nick turned the lights on; sitting in the chair was Det. Hound.  
"Hound, what are you doing here?!"  
"Well, it's a long story, but to make it short, Bogo got me a warrant, signed by a judge, before he went to confront you. While I was on my way here, he told me to call off my search, but seeing as I already have the papers..." Hound procured and waved a document from his jacket, before replacing it. "I have to say, if there is any evidence, you did a good job of hiding it. I didn't find anything, but seeing as you know the perpetrator by name, and have met with him before..." Hound stood and approached Nick, taking a pair of handcuffs and a muzzle from his belt. "I'm sorry Nick, it pains me to do this, but I have to take you in. Hopefully the DNA tests come back negative and we can clear this whole mess up."  
"No," Nick breathed. "The chief said I was free to go!"  
"Well, the law doesn't discriminate. Nicholas Wilde, you are under arrest for the murder of Henry Badgerly. Hands behind your back, mouth closed; make this easy for me, I don't want to have to hurt you."  
"No muzzle. I'll go if you don't muzzle me."  
Hound thought for a moment, before stowing the device on his belt.  
"Very well."  
He locked the fox's wrists behind his back with the steel handcuffs and led him out the door, turning the lights off. They walked down the stairs, before Hound put him into the back of an unmarked cruiser. Hound got behind the wheel, and they made towards the police station.

"You know, you kept checking around your shoulder so often, I thought the rookie would blow it," Hound spoke to break the awkward silence.  
"Rookie? It's unlike you to take along liabilities. Where is he, anyways?"  
"Oh, he has his own cruiser; rookie detective, not rookie cop. I'm getting along in age, and Bogo figured it would be a good experience for one of the newbies in my department if I had him do some sleuthing. You didn't notice him, did you?"  
"I thought I was being followed."  
"I see, it looks like he'll have to work on his technique then."  
"So, why were you snooping around my place? Don't you have better leads?" Nick asked, accusingly.  
"You mean Retta? Chief told me about the bank situation. I had my boys look up the employee records. You'd be amazed at how many mammals work there; ten thousand at least. Of those, over a hundred raccoons. None with the name of our mammal of interest."  
"So what, you figured you'd just pester me instead?"  
"Well, I'm having them look through the raccoons one by one, but that takes time. Meanwhile, I'm investigating a serial killing. I suppose that takes priority over a small corruption case."  
"W-wait. What about her address, the other mammals of interest on her case file? You're not investigating them because you're on her payroll, aren't you?!"  
Hound sighed.  
"Nick, you know me. I've been here a while, and I've picked up on a thing or two. No, I'm not on her payroll, but I have to know when it's worthwhile chasing a fairy tale as opposed to tangible, recent evidence. If it means anything, I really hope the lab analysis clears your name."  
Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
"I want my phone call."

* * *

 **20 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
Several Hours Later**

Prance cried out and fell over as the cold steel of Kai's knife slashed across his torso; he momentarily lost his focus, and it had cost him dearly. Kai laughed, sheathing his knife and grabbing a strip of gauze, before stanching the flow of blood with constant pressure.

Most of their fights had ended this way: one of the mammals would be injured, he would patch them up, and they would move on. The notable exceptions were with Leora and Felix, both of whom were already experts at knife fighting; they were able to deflect blows, and in the case of the latter, land one of his own. Kai's heavy plating prevented any injury resulting from the slash, but he commended the impressive feat.

By far the worst at armed combat were Prance and Bjorn: Prance would consistently lose track of the flashing steel, especially at night given his lack of predatory night vision, and as a result get cut; on the other hand, Bjorn was simply too slow for the graceful art of the knife, and suffered a stab to his liver. Rufus and Neal were average: most of the time, they could hold their own, but occasionally if Kai went fast, or tried hard, he could injure them. It seemed that the latter four's specialties lied elsewhere.

"Who's next?" Kai asked, before his phone beeped once. He took it from his vest and checked the screen: two missed calls and a text message, from the rabbit. It read: 'Nick's arrested, we need to talk'. "Well, it appears you are in luck. Your next meal is in twenty minutes, so I suppose you can get an early start. I will return in half an hour or so."  
"Where are you going?" Neal asked.  
"I have to meet with someone in the city."  
"And… you plan on making it there, talking, and making it back in half an hour? We're twenty miles out."  
"Leora, I'm placing you in charge until I return."  
He set off, first at a walk, then a jog, and then a full sprint; in less than a minute, he was charging at break-neck speed towards the city.  
"How is he going so fast?!" Prance asked, holding the gauze to his chest.  
"So he slashed across your chest in the blink of an eye, he weighs almost a ton, he's not really a wolf… but that's the part you find hard to believe?" Leora replied.

* * *

 **Zootopia Central Hospital  
Rm. 219  
Shortly**

Kai opened the door to the room; Judy was nervously twiddling her thumbs, and upon seeing him, shot up.  
"This is your fault! If you didn't make him-" she began, outraged.  
"I need you, first and foremost, to relax, Madam," he interrupted. "Next, I need you to tell me everything you know."  
She took a deep breath to calm herself.  
"He got arrested last night by Detective Hound when he entered out home. They plan on taking his blood and fur and comparing it to samples from Badgerly's house and from the hospital labs. He says that if they find the match, and they probably will, he might get a life sentence, or if he's unlucky, _death_." Upon speaking the last word, she began to sob slightly.  
"Very well, I shall get him out."  
"But how?"  
"By force, if necessary. I haven't trained six soldiers for nothing, have I?" He gave a sinister grin.  
"Please, no more violence."  
"Well, I could forge a paper that lists him one of my diplomatic envoys. That should get him out of any trouble."  
"Do that."  
Kai nodded and exited, before departing posthaste for the camp by the mountains.

* * *

"I want you six to gather anything you will need for a field mission."  
"Field mission?" Leora asked, uncertainly.  
"I thought this might make a fun first exercise for you. Gather what you need and head into town. I'll meet you outside of Precinct One of the ZPD, where you are to park and await further instructions. Do not, under any circumstances, make contact with anyone."  
"What's the nature of this mission?"  
"To rescue a wrongly imprisoned mammal."  
"And where will you be?"  
"I have to obtain some ordnance, as well as grab some documents. You are all, as of now, my diplomatic envoys."  
"What does that mean for us?"  
"You have diplomatic immunity."  
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Are we about to sneak into the ZPD fully armed, just to break someone out of jail?"  
"The five of them are. You, Leora, will be coming with me."  
"What for?"  
"I haven't payed a visit to Bogo in over three days; what kind of friend would that make me if I didn't grace him with my presence?" he asked, grinning.  
"The clingy, overly emotional, far-too-attached kind?" Neal suggested.  
"It was rhetorical. I intend on checking his status with finding a certain raccoon. God forbid he has made no progress."  
"I didn't take you for the religious type," Rufus spoke.  
"A figure of speech—I also intend on proving him wrong on a dispute we had the last time we met. I leave you with… four hours. Do anything you wish with that time, except contact outside parties. I will meet you on the street opposite the precinct after such time has elapsed; I will bring equipment, so do not worry about being properly armed."  
Before they could respond, he took off to the mountains.  
"Anyone else have a bad feeling about what kind of weaponry he's going to bring?" Prance asked.  
"If he brings anything lethal, I'll-" Leora began.  
"Everything can be lethal," Neal interrupted solemnly.  
They quickly and quietly contemplated what Neal had said, before packing up and heading into town.

* * *

Kai was quickly running through the narrow halls of the bunker, back and forth from the supply room and the armory; he had less than four hours to amass equipment for six, as well as forge diplomatic documents, among other things. He made quick work of repairing two other fabricators; although the rest had wasted away beyond repair, these two only needed quick component replacements, which the one already-working fabricator could provide.

The first fabricator was fast at work placing ink on blank papers in a molecule-perfect fashion; it was also adding security features and implements into the grain of the paper as it went, making seamless certificates. The first machine's next task, after the papers were done, were to create two ballistic vests for Bjorn and Neal, whose sizes Kai could not find in stock in the armory. The second was creating suppressed dart guns and had ammunition queued as the next item to create; he would create various dart types: some lethal, most tranquilizing, perhaps a few paralysis inducing—although the possibilities were endless, most were impractical, and he would need to take time planning the equipment to bring.

The third fabricator was creating something special, a project that he intended to demonstrate just for Bogo as a show of unmatched power; Kai dubbed it 'New Tube Alloy', and ensured that the specifications were such that it could be fired from his helical railgun. The machine's display read that it would take a little over three hours to finish, and that the finished projectile would weigh slightly over eleven kilograms, but Kai didn't want to risk watching its manufacture; he could have opted to wear a lead suit to be near it, but decided that his time was best spent elsewhere.

He had finished packing the equipment into a large bag and, while waiting for the third fabricator to finish, set to work performing calculations. His railgun would be able to house the projectile, but if he wanted to be able to safely fire an eleven kilogram weight, he would need to figure out the little details: to shoot it to a safe distance, Kai reckoned he would need to launch it at least sixty miles; to achieve that, he would need to launch it at a velocity of at least a kilometer per second, but that was a bare minimum, so low where wind and atmospheric conditions could sway it off course or throw it from its path; most likely, he would have to fire it at four kilometers per second; the math didn't look good. His bones might be titanium, but even titanium has a breaking point: normal human bone could withstand ten thousand joules of fracture force; his, a thousand times that at ten million. If his math was correct (and it always was), firing the projectile at that velocity would impart eighty-eight million, which would shatter his arm and then his ribs.

The recoil, however, was only half of the problem; thankfully, this half had a readily available solution. The recoil could be managed by an electromagnetic muzzle brake and recoil damper, both of which sat in the armory. No, the problem that bothered Kai was one of energy: where would he find the means with which to launch the projectile? The railgun's capacitors could be charged to launch the average bullet at relativistic speeds, but he would need a little over double that, and much higher current.

It took him a while to come up with a rather inelegant solution: he would wire in another battery for power, and a transformer to increase the amperage. He would only get two shots before he would need to let it recharge over the course of a day, but that would suffice for his 'demonstration'. In the worst case, he could always revert his changes if he needed its old functionality.

By the time he managed to finish all of his preparations, he had slightly exceeded his four hour time limit; to add to that, he still had to don his own equipment, make it up slightly more than six miles of stairs, go twenty-five miles into the city, and then meet with his squad; his estimate, an hour.

He set off as fast as he could; he had never been late before, and he didn't want this to reflect poorly on him. As he raced through the grassy plains and into the city streets, he got several stares and civilians fleeing in terror; he didn't concern himself, as any police that he encountered could be shooed away with the procurement of his diplomatic papers.

Eventually, he arrived at the plaza in front of the precinct. As expected, the large van was parked across from the building. He strutted up and rapped on the door. It was answered by Rufus, who held in his paw a hand of cards; behind him, the rest appeared to be playing blackjack.  
"Took you long enough," Leora announced from the back of the van.  
"My _sincerest_ apologies. I have your equipment," he replied, dropping the bag on the floor of the van; when the bag made contact, the van tipped slightly.  
"What the hell did you bring?" Rufus asked, unzipping the bag.  
"Each one of you gets a ballistic vest and a dart gun. Ammunition is labeled, make sure you know what you have loaded. I also took the liberty of having some diplomatic papers made," he said, removing the documents from inside of his coat and distributing them.  
"Lethal? You aren't really expecting-" Neal began.  
"I expect you to have the options available, and to be able to make the choice as to what to use in any given situation."  
Neal shrugged, and joined the rest in gearing up.  
"What's the logo on the vest?" Rufus asked, pointing to his shoulder patch; it was a map of the world centered on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath of olive branches; the continents were colored solid gold, the water areas were colored white, and inside the globe were five concentric circles.  
Kai chuckled slightly.  
"I had no respect for them, but I digress. It was the logo of the United Nations, but I suppose we can use it as our symbol now," Kai spoke plainly.  
"Heh, I thought it looked kinda nice."

The six finished suiting up, when Leora asked about the plan.  
"So, what are we going to do?"  
"You and I are going to march through the front door and speak to Bogo," Kai responded. "The other five of you will take any side entrance you choose, make for the cells, and break out a red fox by the name of Nicholas Wilde."  
"What does he look like?" Prance asked.  
"...Red fox? Responds to Nicholas Wilde?" Kai asked, bewildered. "I'm not sure what you're asking. Maybe four feet tall, eighty pounds."  
Prance gave a look of exasperation, but otherwise kept silent.  
"Those dart guns are internally silent, but you should realize that if you leave bodies around that you'll draw suspicion quickly. If you have to take someone out, leave them somewhere inconspicuous. Remember that this is a covert operation."  
"If this is a covert operation, why do you have a big-ass rocket launcher strapped to your back?" Neal asked.  
"This?" Kai asked, pointing to the railgun and giving a lighthearted laugh. "This is a part of the festivities, to which Bogo's invited. If you can finish your mission in, say… ten minutes, then you'll also be in for a _killer_ fireworks show." He gave a devilish grin.  
"Ten minutes?! That's outrageous!" Felix protested.  
"If you are half as good as you claim to be, Felix, you can do it in five."  
Felix grumbled, but accepted the challenge.  
"Let's set out," Kai spoke, opening the door and stepping out.

Prance and the arctic mammals set off for the side entrance next to the detainment area, while he and Leora went for the stairs at the main entrance. As they entered, an elephant in uniform took notice and approached them.  
"What's your business here?" he asked, blocking their way.  
"Diplomatic consul," Kai responded, removing his papers from his coat and presenting them forth. The elephant took a very long look at them, before returning them.  
"I see, but we don't allow non-officers to carry weapons, including her holstered tranquilizer and your… whatever kind of... erm..."  
"Don't bother yourself with the details, she is with me, and as it so happens, is an officer. We are both here to see Chief Bogo."  
Leora took her badge and showed it, at which point the elephant stepped aside.  
"Very well, but you'd best make whatever business you have quick. Other cops might not be so… let's say understanding."  
They nodded and continued to the staircase to Bogo's office.

"So how do you know if the Chief's even in today?" Leora asked as they ascended to the second floor.  
"Logbooks online; your department does a terrible job of keeping data secure."  
They soon approached Bogo's door.  
"Do we knock?" Leora asked.  
"You go on ahead, I'm sure you want a chance to talk to him in private before I ruin your fun."  
"How long do I get?"  
"Well, I'll come in whenever I feel I have something to say, but you can count on at least three minutes."  
"So this won't really be a 'private' discussion?"  
"No. But if it makes a difference, I don't judge."  
Leora rolled her eyes and knocked on the door; there was some fumbling inside the office, before a loud voice spoke 'What?!'. Kai leaned against the wall in the hallway as Leora entered.

"Oh, it's only you, Leora. You get your two hours today?" Bogo asked. Leora glanced at the closed door before answering.  
"Well, yes and no. I have maybe ten minutes to talk."  
"Something wrong?"  
"No, just tired," she answered after a moment. Bogo eyed her suspiciously before replying.  
"How's he treating you?"  
"Fine, pretty good actually. Feeds us well, trains us well."  
"Why are you cut up?"  
"Knife training."  
"He practices with real knives?!" Bogo roared. "I should-"  
"It's fine, really. Better practice than I ever got in the academy, or in the military; nothing like the fear of death to keep your survival instincts active, and you should see the way he patches us up. Anyways, what happened with the mystery red fox you told me about yesterday?"  
"Well, here's the deal. Remember that lead I told you about? I went and talked to him, I thought nothing much; Hound apparently thought he found enough evidence to arrest him."  
"Was the lead a fox?"  
"Yes, we're about to take blood and fur samples for comparison."  
"Why, though? Didn't Kai ask you to find a raccoon?"  
Bogo sighed upon hearing the name.  
"I put Hound to work, he told me that he didn't find the one we're looking for, but he'll do another more thorough search; it's a different case."  
"Sir, if I may?" Leora asked. Bogo nodded. "We already know who the killer is, why are we wasting time looking for a fox?"  
"Accomplices, Leora. Who knows what other lunatics he has running around doing his bidding."

Kai burst through the door theatrically.  
"Why, I feel insulted that you think I needed help to orchestrate such beauty!" he spoke.  
"You!" Bogo turned to Leora. "What is _he_ doing here?"  
"He insisted on talking to you," she responded, before turning to Kai. "And that wasn't nearly three minutes, sir."  
"Details, details. What I'm more curious about, Bogo, is why you haven't devoted all of your resources to finding the raccoon," Kai said haughtily.  
"Crime doesn't stop, not even for a minute. I can't devote street cops to finding a mammal just so _you_ can fulfill your fantasies of being useful," Bogo responded rudely.  
"Bogo, you sit here in your office all day, every day. I stopped nine crimes singlehandedly in two days. Don't lecture me about not being useful."  
"You killed- Why am I even having this discussion with you? What do you want?"  
"I came to check your progress with finding our mammal of interest, as well as one other matter..." he checked the clock on the wall. "That I will get to in six minutes."  
"Why not now?"  
"I promised my team they could see the fireworks."  
"Well, you know the progress. Hound didn't find your lead."  
"He didn't look hard enough."  
"Hound is the best detective I have, he's been in the business longer than anyone else in his department. He knows where to look, and if this mystery mammal existed, she would have been found by now."  
"I'm beginning to question your motives, Bogo."  
"What are you suggesting?"  
"I'm suggesting that you are involved in this, and are throwing false leads in every which way to keep the real cops off track."  
" _Preposterous!_ " Bogo shouted, slamming his clenched fist on his desk. "You dare come in and accuse me of being crooked? After the stunt you pulled with Wilkins? The only good lead we _supposedly_ had, and you leave him in a coma with nothing but a no-name raccoon to go after? Maybe you're stirring up mud to keep us from doing our duties!"  
Kai chuckled.  
"And what motive, my dear, fuzzy little friend, could I _possibly_ have for doing that?"  
Bogo blinked.  
"Because you are a psychopath, and you are never to refer to me as that again."  
"As what?" he asked, slyly.  
" **You know what**."

An awkward tension arose as they stared at each other for nearly a minute, before Leora stepped in.  
"So, Kai, what was this you were saying about a killer fireworks show?"  
He checked the clock again.  
"Well, I suppose I've given them enough time. Bogo, the window opens, correct?"  
"Yes, why?"  
"Excellent. How far do the fishing boats travel out?"  
"20 miles. Again, why?"  
"Not that I particularly cared to hear the answer, I still would have shot anyways." Kai walked over to the window and opened it wide. "Now Bogo, the last time I was here, we had a dispute. I said 'Or else.', you asked 'Or else what?', and then I made a threat. Sound familiar?"  
"Oh, is that when you threatened to destroy the city in fifteen seconds flat?"  
"Fourteen, if my memory serves me."  
Bogo laughed.  
"That statement sounds as silly now as it did then. Is that rocket launcher the way you plan on doing it?" he asked, motioning to the weapon strapped to Kai's back. "Because if so, I'd be glad to see it."  
"Be careful what you wish for, Bogo," Kai warned, before leaning on the windowsill, taking a deep breath. "What a lovely view of the ocean."  
"Yeah, fabulous. Get on with it."  
Kai unstrapped the railgun from his back and took aim to the ocean, leaning the weapon at an ever-so-slight upward angle. He adjusted several dials and switches, before temporarily lowering it.  
"You know, the last time one of these went off, I was but a young man, and there were fourteen billion more of my kind on this planet."  
"Good riddance, if you ask me," Bogo snorted.  
Kai fired, and the room sounded with a loud, metallic ringing, and some coil whine. The other two clutched at their ears instinctively.  
"Shit, warn me the next time you're going to do that, sir," Leora protested.  
"Well, if my aim is true, that should go sixty miles out, which will take fifty seconds."  
"What kind of weapon can shoot a projectile at more than a mile per second?" Bogo asked, skeptically.  
"My kind of weapon. I intend to use these fifty seconds to tell you about the first time one of these weapons went off. The individual in charge of the weapon's development thought it an apt description of its capabilities to quote from scripture, because he thought nothing else could do it justice."  
"You're not going to preach to me, are you?"  
Kai gave a small chortle.  
"No. But I will also quote the same passage for you, if not because I agree with it, then because of my respect for him: _If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One_ -"  
"You put a lot of faith in this 'weapon' of yours. What can we even see from sixty miles?" Bogo inquired, leaning back in his chair and cradling his head in his arms.  
"I wasn't done: _Now I am become death, the_ _destroyer_ _of worlds_."

In an instant, a blinding light blazed from the horizon, casting shadows against everything it could reach; Bogo and Leora had to avert their gaze so as to not damage their sight. After ten seconds, it had dimmed to the point where they could bear to look at it, but where it still cast shadows; lightning strikes danced across the horizon as the sky dimmed from bright yellow, to orange, to red, to a dim purple; it was as if sunset had fallen, even though it was hardly past noon. A large domed cloud of vapor quickly expanded before rising through the sky, taking on the form of a mushroom, and then a torus. Forty-five seconds later, the Earth began to quake beneath them; office ornaments and knick-knacks fell from the walls to the floor, the fragile ones breaking into shivers of glass.

"Why..?" Bogo asked, staring incredulously.  
"Because I cannot tolerate pretending to be wrong," Kai replied. "Come, Leora, let us meet with the others. Oh, and before we leave: Bogo, two things I have to mention."  
"What?"  
"First, I took the fox back. He is part of my diplomatic convoy, and as such, is subject to diplomatic immunity." Kai flashed the paper, but Bogo was staring off into the horizon at the hypocenter of the blast. "Second, the blast overpressure will hit in about three and a half minutes, so I suggest you brace yourself. If your windows shatter, let me know so I can laugh at you the next time we meet."  
"I… I daresay I'm impressed at the length you would go to keep the fox out of trouble. Worried, but impressed. Very well, he can have his _diplomatic immunity_." Bogo spat the last two words like venom. "On the condition that you never show this weapon of yours ever again."  
"Do you admit that I can destroy the city in thirteen seconds?"  
"...Yes."  
"That's all I wanted to hear. Come, Leora."  
They exited his office.

As they were leaving the precinct, no one paid any attention to them; they were busy staring out the windows of the lobby onto the horizon, transfixed by the event in the distance.  
"Killer fireworks, no?" Kai asked, as they exited the precinct.  
"What was that?" Leora responded after a moment, unable to comprehend what she just witnessed.  
"I shall explain later if I feel like it, perhaps."

They met up with the rest of the team, as well as Nick, on the steps leading up to the precinct.  
"Please tell me you didn't just detonate a nuclear weapon," Nick pleaded.  
"I did. If you ask me, Bogo was practically begging for it. Besides, it makes for such a lovely view, doesn't it?"  
They stared momentarily into the violet horizon.  
"I thought you said those bombs ended your civilization!"  
"Well, everything in moderation is fine, isn't it? Besides, a lack of proper use led to the end of my civilization."  
"And you shooting into the ocean for whatever reason is proper use?!"  
"It kept everyone distracted so as to not notice you standing out here in the open," Kai rationalized, shrugging.  
Nick was speechless.

"What now?" Prance asked, breaking the silence.  
"As a curiosity, how many did you have to take down, and how long were you waiting out here?" Kai asked.  
"We incapacitated the warden with a tranquilizer dart; other than that, no one else. We made it out just in time to see the lights," Felix answered.  
"Seven minutes, one takedown; not bad for your first time," Kai commended. "You six head back for camp. I have some quick business to take care of with this one."  
His squad nodded, and the six set off for their van.

"Business with me?" Nick asked. "Quite frankly, I think I'm done with you. You got me arrested and hospitalized, and you got Judy lung-shot."  
"I promise, this will be quick."  
Kai removed a set of documents from his vest.  
"These are for you, Nick," Kai spoke, handing the papers to the fox. "A Writ of Diplomatic Envoy."  
"What for?"  
"So they don't arrest you again. It should come in handy, seeing as I have another task for you."  
"Oh for fuck's sake."  
"Your fourth task is to meet with the raccoon, Retta Hummel, and find out everything you can about her."  
"If Hound couldn't do that, what makes you think I can?"  
"Because you are a crafty Reynard. You know everyone in the city, do you not? If anything, I'm sure the rabbit will help you."  
He gave a half-hearted salute to the fox before departing.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, the science was fun to crank out, but sorry if it, along with the large number of transitions, makes the chapter hard or not fun to read. I'll just say right now I'm not a doctor, nor a physicist, nor a chemist, nor anything but a student really; hell, I'm not even that great a writer. If anything, I originally meant this story to be a writing experiment, but I'm glad to see it took off. Anyways, most of the science in here breaks down as follows: the physics comes from the two or three physics courses and labs I've taken, the chemistry is a mix of my chem know-how from two courses with lab and the internet, and the medicine/biology is all Wikipedia. If I ever get the opportunity to do programming, that'll be all me.**

 **Also, I have a request for anyone who wants to write a review: if your review is about the story, go ahead and write it, but if it's meant as a message for me to read, I'd vastly prefer it as a PM; the reason being, FF and my mail broke, meaning that the website doesn't want to let me read reviews until something like three days until after they're posted, and my e-mail began stacking review notifications. Every time I get a new review, the only thing it shows is that I have one, not who it's from, or the content, and I'm beginning to suspect that I'm getting more notifications than actual reviews (whether it's because they get deleted, or because something else, I don't know). I'll try to read them all, but if the website jimmies them unreadable, then it kind of becomes difficult.**

 **I've had enough people ask that I've decided to finish this story; oh what fun we will have.**

 **Fun fact: The first time he shot the helical railgun, it was a five gram bullet at 0.2%(I think?) the speed of light; I originally planned the eleven kg projectile to shoot at 2%, which is absolutely ludicrous, and may or may not have been a typo (I realized how silly the number was after I finished crunching the calculations, so I went back until I got a more realistic number for the maximum tensile strength for titanium). To give you a rough idea of how much energy that is, it would be the equivalent of launching an apple past Pluto a hundred times over, or putting a space station into orbit. The momentum conservation would launch Kai in the other direction at about 400 times the speed of sound. No amount of pseudoscience could save me from the recoil, nor the atmospheric drag: at that speed, the air molecules have no time to move out of the way of the shot, so they actually fuse to the front of the projectile and to each other; immediately after firing, there would be an atomic explosion from atmospheric drag alone.**

 **Unrelated fun fact: Did you know the sun has a lower power density than a pile of compost? I don't know what possessed me to remember this, but if you want to fact check it, it's true.**


	15. Chapter XII: Fallout

**20 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
The Next Day**

The six mammals were getting target practice with the dart guns; their commander had decided that they each possessed sufficient skills with a knife to defeat an average enemy, or in the case of Leora and Felix, an exceptional enemy. Kai had set up archery-style targets at various ranges from twenty-five meters to five kilometers, although for the latter he brought heavier weaponry than dart guns.

Neal had just sunk another dart into the fifty meter center dot—a perfect bull's eye.  
"Where did you get this good?" Prance asked, exasperated. He could barely hit the fifty meter target, let alone hit it well.  
"Sniper training," he said, as he shot again, landing in the ring just outside of the center.  
"You know, I've been wondering. Where did you get all of these darts?" Rufus asked. "This would cost a fortune at the precinct."  
"He probably has a contract with a manufacturer," Leora offered.  
"Nah, they're custom made," Neal spoke.  
"And how do you know that?" Felix asked.  
"Standard issue darts are 8mm, these ones are 10. They're too big for our guns, and no wholesaler or manufacturer would make them in this size, since the drag should be too much for straight sailing."  
"Keen eye," Kai commented.  
"Speaking of that, I noticed you put up some targets way out far; why?"  
"That's for the bigger guns."  
"No tranquilizer rifle can shoot past 1500, and no powder rifle can shoot past 3000. That one's about double that."

"Well, I suppose you can move on; after all, it's not like you'll miss at these ranges." Kai reached behind the crate he sat on and pulled out a narrow, but extremely long, weapon, not unlike the one strapped to his back, although this one possessed a notably shorter stock, thinner barrel, and a bipod.  
"What is that?" Neal asked, awestruck by the sleek design of the weapon.  
"You'll have to forgive me if it's unwieldy. It was designed for beings of much… larger stature," he answered, handing the weapon over.  
"But what is it?" the fox reiterated, running his paws along the length of the gun. "It's really front-heavy..." He pulled the breech back, inspecting the barrel. "Clip loaded, single shot? Couldn't you get a semi-auto?"  
"First, it's front heavy because that's where the power supply is; second, it's single shot because it has to recharge between shots. It's a railgun."  
His eyes widened.  
"Like, straight out of a video game railgun?"  
Kai massaged his neck trying to come up with an explanation, but fell short.  
"Well… I guess. It shoots 20mm slugs," he eventually answered, removing a bullet from his coat and twirling it between his fingers, before handing it to Neal. "Oh, before I forget..." He reached behind the crate and gave Neal a pair of goggles.  
"What are these for?"  
"Welding shades. That's an older model of linear railgun, and unlike the helical one that I have, it gives off unshielded electrical arcs when you fire; the UV light might damage your eyes. It only tints when it gets bright, so you don't have to worry about visibility in nighttime."  
"Why not give me yours then?"  
"Mine has a muzzle energy of nine million joules, easily enough to break every bone in your body and throw you from the ground. On top of the lower energy, I installed some recoil reducing features and a bipod. Given that, I still recommend you only fire it prone or stabilized."  
The fox eyed it suspiciously, before eying Kai suspiciously.  
"So how do you shoot yours then?"  
"Let's worry about your problems right now."  
Neal clearly didn't want to accept the red herring, but decided not to press further.  
"Anything else I should know? It almost seems like more of a hassle than it's worth."  
"Under no circumstances should you rupture the cells on the front when they're charging."  
"And if I do?"  
"You have maybe three seconds to pray to whatever god you believe in that it stays stable."  
"What?!"  
"If it goes critical, it'll leave a smoldering crater three hundred meters across, so if you think you can close that distance, be my guest."  
Neal stared at the gun and slowly tried to hand it back.  
"Don't worry, the only possible way they can break is if you shoot them with another railgun or if you use shaped charges, and even then, they only charge for several seconds immediately after you fire. Go ahead, give it a try, aim for the target all the way down range."

All eyes were on the fox as he strutted to a rock upon which to lay the bipod. He looked down the scope and reached to adjust, before noticing that the viewfinder was unusual.  
"Where are the adjustment knobs? All I have is zoom."  
"You don't need them. As long as it's centered you'll never miss."  
"What about wind? Gravity?"  
"The bullet travels at forty kilometers per second, so unless you shoot into the winds of Neptune, I don't think that it will be a problem."  
Neal took aim again and held his breath.  
"Don't hold your breath, shoot mid-exhale. All you're doing is tiring your diaphragm out, as well as enforcing bad technique. That goes for the rest of you as well."  
He took several breaths before scoping back in. The finger on the trigger was slowly pressing in, and as he exhaled he squeezed. Simultaneously, the target, as well as the rock-face behind it, blasted into dust, and the rock the bipod was resting on cracked.

The rest of the mammals were giving praise of one form or another.  
"Hey, that was pretty fun!" Neal exclaimed painfully, massaging his shoulder. "Kicks like a mule, though."  
"Not bad for a first shot. You only clipped the target, but considering the distance, I'd say 'well done'."  
"If you don't mind me asking sir," Leora interjected, "why do we need weaponry that can shoot this far, or hit this hard?"  
"It always helps to have a last resort. Stealth should always be your first priority, but if things have to get messy, you should only need to shoot once. In any case, anti-materiel weaponry is useful for more than just killing; if he loads a shrapnel round, he could take down a wall or a tank."  
"You don't honestly expect to fight tanks, do you?"  
"Just throwing the thought out there. Anyways, time flies; I believe you get your two hours now, and I need to go set up more durable targets."

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
Precinct One  
12:45 PM**

Leora walked through the precinct to Bogo's office. The rest were out on their own business, and she was looking for a way to pass the time; she had already visited her apartment, only a short walk from the precinct, but quickly became bored in her solitude. Her family, or rather what distant relatives were left, lived several cities over and never made for good conversation, but Bogo was always sure to have a case that he wanted to talk about.

As she approached the door, she heard a heated argument on the other side, the content of which she could not accurately discern. She decided to knock anyways; the argument briefly quieted, at which point Bogo quietly spoke 'Excuse me,' before proclaiming for her to 'Enter'. She opened the door to reveal Bogo, with an exasperated expression on his face, and opposite him a warthog in military uniform, surrounded on both sides by a ram and a wombat, also in uniform. The warthog bore a look of extreme fury, and although his lackeys seemed indifferent to the happenings around them, Leora could tell that they didn't want to be there.

"Colonel, if you could excuse us for ten minutes please," Bogo spoke calmly, motioning to the door.  
"No! I don't care if Mayor-fucking-Lionheart walked into the room, you will not shoo me away like some pest! Tell this _wench_ to wait outside," the warthog yelled.  
"I am not some _wench_ ," Leora protested. "Bogo, why are you putting up with this pig?"  
"PIG?!" shrieked the colonel, turning to face her. "Who is this?! Answer me, Bogo!"  
"This is Technician Lieutenant Leora, she is my subordinate."  
"Wait, _Leora_ , that name…" the warthog muttered quietly, before putting on a devilish grin. "I know you! You were that promiscuous whore, the dishonorable discharge, assaulting a superior officer! How you even got a job here, let alone a job doing anything above scrubbing latrines, is beyond me."  
Bogo tossed a casual glance at Leora, whose eyes were shut and brow furrowed, before returning his gaze to the colonel.  
"Colonel, I assure you the matter you are discussing is not too serious; we can conduct our business on some other day-" Bogo began.  
"No. Actually, I'm sick of being dragged around. I am your superior officer and I demand-"  
"You demand nothing. I am in charge of the police forces in the city, and you are in charge of whatever military business you have _outside_ of the city."  
He cleared his throat. "'Federal Law: Article IV, Section X, Act I: The highest ranking military officer shall have command of all regional forces, in time of peace or war,…' yadda-yadda. My rank trumps yours, Bogo, ergo I am in charge."  
"Wow, you have that memorized just so you can abuse your rank? I bet that's all you have your brain-power devoted to," Bogo muttered.  
"Bogo, two things will happen. The first is that you **will** obey my orders and put the city under martial law. The second, is that you will fire officer Leora."  
"What? Why?!" Leora yelled.  
"Because I find it amusing that you wish to amount to anything, now silence."  
"Where is this law written?" Bogo asked, wheeling his chair to the shelf containing various codexes of law.  
"Common Law, under article four… Section ten…" he narrated instructions to Bogo as he leafed through the pages.  
"Sir, why does this pig want you to put the city under martial law?"  
"SILENCE!"  
"Shut your trap, hog. I'm talking to my superior, not you."  
The warthog's face became flush with anger; his subordinates bore mildly amused smiles.  
"The explosion sixty miles off-shore-"  
"You're forbidden from divulging military secrets, Bogo."  
"She already knows about it, the whole damn city knows by now. What secret?"  
"That's the reason?" Leora questioned. She had a feeling that Kai's reckless action would have some dire consequence.

"There!" the colonel announced as he pointed out the passage in the law book. "Written exactly as I stated. Now, lock the city down and fire her."  
"I do not have the authority to lock the city down, for the fourth time. And even if I did, I would disobey your orders."  
"THEN FIRE THE WENCH!"  
Bogo looked up to Leora.  
"Sir..."  
"I'm sorry Leora, but he's got me on a tight leash. I'll need your badge."  
"B—But..."  
"No buts, missy. Give him your badge, and maybe my subordinates will let you service them tonight," taunted the colonel.  
Leora feigned a punch, stopping an inch from his snout; he stumbled, and fell backwards.  
"Leora!" Bogo spoke; she stopped to stare, and when she did, the colonel's lackeys grabbed her by the shoulders, threw her to the ground, and began beating her.  
"ENOUGH!" Bogo shouted. The whole room fell silent. "Leora, badge. Colonel, we will resume this discussion at a later time. I tire of your antics."  
The colonel motioned for his troops to leave, and at the threshold, turned and spoke.  
"You have four hours, Bogo. You'd better have the authorization to lock the city down in four hours." The colonel then left and closed the door.

For several moments, nothing happened: Leora just sat dejected on the floor, and Bogo sat in his chair, head perched on his hoof.  
"Leora,-"  
"I don't want to hear it."  
She slowly stood, brushed herself off, removed the badge from her belt, and threw it onto his desk.  
"Leora, wait."  
She stopped in his doorway.  
"What was this about a dishonorable discharge? You never mentioned it in your application, never told me about it."  
"It's not worth discussing."  
"Just by withholding that information from me, you were already on track for being fired. Why did you lie?"  
"I'll trade you an answer for an answer. Tell me why he wants the city on lockdown, and I'll tell you about my court-martial."  
"Leora, order you to tell me."  
"I'm not your subordinate anymore."  
Bogo sighed.  
"Very well. He says that his scientists found traces of 'toxic debris', something about radioactive Sodium and an increase in ocean temperature. He wants everyone to stay in their homes for two weeks, or until he deems it safe. Now, your dishonorable discharge?"  
She glared at him, before taking a seat in the chair.  
"My commanding officer was a lion. Lieutenant Linus something-or-other; his name's not worth remembering anymore. Great officer, or so I thought. He would always help out with the little things, never berated us, all that good stuff. Before I continue, I should mention that I had separate living quarters, a room to myself as opposed to a room for four, on account of my gender. Only female in my platoon."  
"And?" Bogo asked, intrigued.  
"So one night, after curfew, I'm awoken by a ruffling at the tent door, smell of booze. It was my CO, and he clearly had too much to drink. I don't know what possessed him to get drunk, or where he even got the alcohol, but he was plastered. He was acting friendly, asked for 'favors'. I, of course, denied him, at which point he attacked me. I had my knife on my stand, and I reached for it, but he grabbed my wrist and pinned me down..." she trailed off.  
"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Bogo said solemnly.  
"I gouged his eye out and ran for the night watch. But, of course, seeing as it was just me in that tent, it was his word against mine, and everyone overlooked the fact that he was drunk. Brings a whole new meaning to 'Friends in high places.'"  
"And then what?" Bogo asked, after she trailed off again.  
"He convinced them that I was promiscuous, and that when he discovered it, I was so desperate to keep the truth from getting out that I assaulted him."  
"But that's preposterous, anyone who knows you would never believe that!" Bogo spoke in an elevated tone, angrily.  
"Yeah, well… no one bothered to get to know me," she answered solemnly, before turning to leave.  
"Where are you going? If I timed it right, you still have an hour."  
"You can't discuss cases with me, as that would be a breach of confidentiality; so, I may as well go look for a job. I hear private security is hiring in the Canyonlands."  
"But why did you lie on your application?"  
"Because you wouldn't have hired me if I wrote 'Dishonorable Discharge', or 'Assaulting a Superior'. I'm good at what I do, but if you never give me a chance, what's the point?"  
"When the colonel leaves, I'll reinstate you."  
"I'll consider it. It's just a shitty desk job, anyways."  
As she stepped out, Bogo whispered 'I'm sorry.'

She walked out the precinct, along the narrow side streets until she reached her apartment; she entered, and collapsed onto her bed. A sudden sense of freedom filled her; she was no longer constrained to any of her previous obligations. No more paperwork to fill out, no more night shifts followed by surprise morning shifts, no more irritating coworkers, and no more getting worked half to death by Kai. She paused on the last thought for a minute: did she need to keep going? He was treating her with more dignity than anyone else, including even Bogo; although Bogo might have treated her with respect, he just saw her as another subordinate, but it seemed in Kai's eyes, she was an individual. Eventually, she came to the decision that she was no longer bound to him: he asked for six _officers_ , and seeing as the category no longer applied, he would have to do without her.

She lay back and struggled to drift to sleep.

* * *

Neal was knocking on the apartment door; he was fairly certain that it was the correct one, as it was the address that the precinct had on file for Leora. At first, when she was twenty minutes late for reconvening at the designated location, they thought she was just dragging on with a particularly long conversation with Bogo; when Rufus went to ask, Bogo answered that she had left over an hour prior. They had gone on a long search of various locations that she said she would visit, before ultimately Bjorn suggested visiting her apartment. The fox, as always, drew the short straw, so he was the one knocking furiously.

Eventually, Leora answered the door.  
"What do you want?" she asked, yawning.  
"Are you serious?! We're already late as it is coming back, and you decide to take a nap?"  
"Go without me," she answered, and shut the door.

He stared, confused, at the door, before knocking again. About a minute later, she answered again.  
"I said you can leave without me."  
"Why? You're a part of the team."  
"Not anymore, I got fired," she announced proudly. "Seeing how he wants cops, and I'm not a cop, you can go."  
"Wait, you got fired? Bogo didn't mention it."  
"Yeah, sucks, but hey, at least I don't have to deal with senseless garbage anymore."  
She tried to close the door, but Neal held it open.  
"You can't just quit!"  
"Why not?"  
"What else are you going to do?"  
"Private sec is less stressful, and I won't have to see the scum of the Earth on a daily basis. Besides, being on a suicide squad doesn't sound like my idea of a good time, so I'll just take the week off before I start working elsewhere."  
She forced the door closed, knocking the fox to the ground. He knocked, at which point she snarled through the door:  
"Leave me alone, Neal. I have things to do."  
"Like what?!"  
"Job applications."  
He stomped off, annoyed, to the rest of the group waiting on the street below.

"So, any luck?" Bjorn asked.  
"Oh yeah, she's there, but she's not coming out," Neal answered.  
"Why not?" Felix questioned.  
"Bogo neglected to mention that she got fired, and now she's too salty to do anything except cry about job applications and stress."  
Prance, Felix, and Rufus burst into laughter, but Bjorn just shook his head.  
"There's no point in waiting around, we might as well just head back," Neal said.  
"Without her? _He_ won't be happy," Bjorn warned.  
" _He_ 'll have to deal with it."  
They set off for the camp, with Rufus behind the wheel; the ride was noticeably quieter, as no one was willing to talk.

When they finally arrived, Kai was tinkering with a rifle.  
"Why are you over an hour late?" he asked as they began stepping out. Upon noticing there were only five, he added, "Where is Leora?"  
"She doesn't want to come anymore," Neal answered solemnly.  
"Why not?"  
"She got fired. She's too busy looking for other employment to come."  
Kai sighed.  
"Alright, listen carefully. Neal, you are not to use the railgun until I return. Stick to the tranquilizer rifle and standard sniper rifles. The rest of you have free reign with weapon choice. Ammunition crates are stacked by caliber on the far end of camp, so don't worry about running dry. Weapons are in the cases lined along the ground behind me."  
"Why can't I use the railgun?"  
"I don't want you hurting yourself or breaking anything. It's a delicate piece of machinery, and I want to supervise your first dozen or so shots."  
"Wait, until you return? Where are you going?" Prance asked.  
"I have to retrieve our fallen comrade."  
"Don't bother, I already tried," Neal said.  
"You forget that I am a master of persuasion. She perhaps forgot that I am the one paying all of you, and Bogo forgot that he wasn't supposed to fire any of you. He had better have a reasonable explanation."  
He left for the city.

* * *

He approached and rapped her door.  
"Go away Neal, I'm not interested."  
He knocked twice, paused, once, paused, and then three times. The door cracked open slightly, behind it was Leora's piercing gaze.  
"Oh, it's only you. Why do you know gang knocks?"  
"It got the door to open, and it hasn't failed me yet."  
"Fair enough. I already told Neal that I'm not coming. I have to find a new job."  
"I control your salary, remember? I promised double what you previously made, plus bonuses."  
"Yeah, but I got fired; you might be the one dishing out cash, but the Chief… Bogo also has control of my employment."  
"Which reminds me: get dressed. We're going to pay him a visit."  
"Why?"  
"Because he owes me an explanation as to why he terminated your employment."  
"You see… about that," she began. "I have no interest in going back. I gave it some thought and I realized that I might-"  
"You _are_ coming with me. You have two minutes to get prepared and leave, or I will drag you out in whatever state I find you."  
"You wouldn't dare."  
"Try me."  
She rolled her eyes before closing the door.

Two minutes had passed and she was not out. Kai knocked, and she didn't respond.  
"Leora, two minutes have passed."  
No response.  
He swiftly picked the lock and threw the door open; inside, sitting in a chair at her table was Leora, wearing a collared shirt and jeans, typing on her laptop.  
"How did you?" she asked, astonished.  
"I'm disappointed. You didn't even bother with the deadbolt. Come," he motioned.  
"I was serious."  
He walked over and picked her up, hoisting her up into a fireman's carry.  
"Hey- Put me down!" she commanded, clawing in vain at anything she could reach.  
"I warned you that I would drag you out if I had to."  
"Fine, I'll walk, just let me go!"  
"You had your chance."  
The feline lay dolefully across his shoulders, having given up in her attempts to escape. He made his way out of the apartment, locking the door behind them, down the stairs, and onto the street below.  
"You know, if someone sees us, they'll try to stop you," she piped up.  
"Then you'll just have to put on a cheery smile and make sure they don't get the wrong idea," Kai responded. She groaned.

As he walked through the streets, they garnered a large amount of stares.  
"Sir, can you _please_ put me down?" Leora hissed to him. "If you were a leopard this might have been acceptable, but you're not even a feline."  
"You've tolerated it for six minutes, the station's only a couple minutes more."  
"Are you okay, miss?" asked a gazelle passing by.  
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm _great_ ," Leora responded.  
"Are you sure? You don't look too happy."  
"Well, not really, but I'll live."  
The gazelle stared, but kept moving in the other direction.

"Why can't you just let me walk? You're making such a big deal out of this," Leora complained as she was carried up the steps of the precinct.  
"I can't be certain if you will run, and I don't feel like chasing you."  
"I promise you I won't."  
"In any case, this is more fun."  
"Are you serious?"  
He laughed.  
"You know, I love cats; I always wanted one as a pet before, well..."  
"Excuse me?!"  
He pushed the door into the atrium, and headed for Bogo's office.

"Leora, what are you doing here?" asked a lion. "I heard you got fired?"  
"Yeah, I thought so too, but this loon _the ambassador_ insists on having a word with Bogo about it."  
The lion laughed.  
"Well, have fun."  
 _Help me_ , she mouthed. He just waved; she buried her face in her paws.

Kai turned the knob and threw Bogo's door open.  
"Colonel, you're early-" Bogo began, before realizing who actually entered, chuckling slightly upon seeing a dejected Leora resting upon Kai's shoulders. "Oh, it's only you. What are you doing here?"  
Kai set Leora down before speaking very sternly.  
"I heard you terminated her employment, and she now refuses to do anything."  
"It was out of my control. I was forced to by chain of command from Colonel Hodge."  
"Someone has authority over you?"  
"I know you find it hard to believe, but he came, insulted her, threatened me, and demanded I fire her; I had no choice but to comply."  
"You feared for your job, so you threw hers away?"  
"I'm sorry."  
"You craven wretch." Kai shook his head. "Return her employment."  
"I cannot, only the colonel can."  
"Why?"  
"He's the highest ranking officer, military or otherwise, in the city. As long as he's here, he will be. If he leaves, then I'll have the authority, but it doesn't appear that it'll happen any time soon."  
"Where can I find this colonel?"  
"He'll be back in..." Bogo checked the clock. "About an hour or so."  
"Leave then, go home. I wish to have a chat with this 'colonel'."  
"I won't permit-"  
"Begone," Kai commanded sternly.  
Bogo pondered the command for a minute.  
"Very well, I'll take the rest of the day off, but you'd better not make me regret it."  
Kai waved him away, and he walked out.

"What kind of chat?" Leora asked.  
"The fun and happy kind," Kai responded.  
"You don't do that kind."  
"I never said it would be fun for him."  
"What are you really planning?"  
"I'm going to get your job back."

* * *

 **Downtown Zootopia  
4:14 PM**

Judy had gotten out of the hospital; one arm was in a sling, and the other was held by Nick as they walked home at a leisurely pace.  
"...diplomatic immunity, huh?" Judy asked, continuing their earlier conversation. "Who would have thought that you'd turn out to be a diplomat?"  
"I'm sure it's only temporary. As soon as he takes off, Bogo's gonna give me the slammer," Nick replied.  
"Don't say that. You know Bogo only used you to get to him."  
"Yeah, wouldn't be the first time I got used," Nick laughed. Judy slugged him on his shoulder lightly, which prompted him to laugh louder.

"So why are you with me instead of out finding Retta?" Judy asked after a while.  
"Because you need to get home."  
"Oh stop it, Nick. You know I can make it back on my own."  
"I want to see it happen. You were just in the hospital."  
"Honestly, I'll be fine. I was only in the hospital because I made a bad move, not because I'm incapable."  
"I'll just err on the side of caution."  
She gave him an insulted look.  
"You don't believe me? It's maybe fifteen minutes away, Nick. I also happen to be a cop, just like you; I'll manage." She broke her grip and stormed off, leaving him standing on the sidewalk confused. He ran to catch up with her.  
"Carrots, come on."  
"Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm incapable, Nick."  
"I wasn't implying- What I meant was-… Look, Judy: you mean too much for me to lose you."  
She stopped walking, and turned to face him.  
"Really? In that case, I'll go help you find Retta."  
"What?! Judy, you can't be-"  
"I thought you didn't want to lose me?" she spoke in an amused tone. "You can't lose me if I'm right next to you."  
"But it's too dangerous! You could get killed!"  
"Again with _me_ being in danger. I think it's statistically more likely for you to die than me, seeing as you're the fox."  
Nick gave an exasperated expression.  
"Besides, if I die, I'll die with you. What's more to want?" she cooed.  
"Don't say that, you'll jinx it."  
"She's just a raccoon, what's the worst that could happen? Besides, she and I are friends."  
Nick sighed.  
"Alright, 'Retta's friend', where do we start?"  
"Well, if Det. Hound didn't find her at the bank, it's possible she stopped working there, but she could still ride the Zootopia Loop to and from wherever she works."  
"Yeah, but what's the chance we'll catch her if we go now?"  
"Well..." Judy checked her phone. "It's almost four-fifteen right now, most shifts end at five. If we get on the train at Peak Street, it's practically guaranteed that when get to Savannah Central, at least one raccoon will have gotten on."  
"North bound or South bound? Because I highly doubt we'll find one if we cut through Sahara Square."  
"Nick, if we go South through Sahara, we cut through a lot of businesses before the train loops around to the Meadowlands and the Burrows."  
"I mean… if you think it's worth a shot. If she gets on at Savannah and goes the other way, though..."  
"She always went through Rainforest District to the Burrows. If we don't find her, we can always try again tomorrow, right?"  
"To what end?"  
"Until we find her?"  
Nick rolled his eyes.

They changed directions for the Peak Street Station, arriving in a little under ten minutes; two flights of stairs took them to the platform, to which they had already purchased year-long passes several months prior. They boarded the Southbound train and began their ride to no particular destination, on the lookout for their mammal of interest. The next stop took them into Sahara Square, where immediately the heat poured in through the cracks and radiated through the windows; even though the train was air conditioned, the temperature was slowly rising. They passed Cactus Grove and Tundra Gate, upon which the train continued South through the desert-like climate, as opposed to North through Tundratown.

At the next stop, Nick noticed a peculiar figure board the train; shorter than he was, although taller than Judy. The black mask in its fur was a tell-tale sign that it was a raccoon, but it wore a shawl and a long cardigan, appeared emaciated, and what little fur was exposed was thin and patchy. It sat several seats away from them and pulled out a book.  
"Hey Carrots, think that could be her?" Nick whispered, gesturing secretly towards the mammal.  
"Her? Retta didn't look too bad when I last saw her, but you never know."  
"Yeah, but why the coverings, in Sahara Square of all places?"  
"Why don't you ask?"  
"Are you mad? That's insensitive!" Nick hissed, glancing up towards the raccoon. She was staring straight at him through bespectacled eyes, and he averted his gaze.  
"Yeah but you're a fox, it's not like she'd expect anything different," she mocked.  
"Judy, don't start this again."  
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm just a bunny who needs to be escorted home because I'm too helpless to walk for even ten minutes on my own."  
Nick buried his face in his paws, but eventually glanced back towards the raccoon, only to again meet her unwavering stare. This time, he stared as well, but her gaze appeared to pierce through his eyes straight into his soul; it was getting extremely uncomfortable for him to keep looking, but he wanted to see how she would react if he didn't look away.

Eventually, she stood and took the seat right next to his.  
"You wouldn't happen to be Officer Nicholas Wilde, would you?" she asked hoarsely.  
"Uhm… Yeah, but I go by Nick. May I ask who you are?"  
"I thought I recognized your face from the news. My neighbors don't shut up about you, their kits look up to you, the first fox cop; you're their hero. And would that happen to be Judy Hopps that you're riding with?"  
"Yeah, how did you know?"  
"Oh, she and I go back a ways, I'm not sure she'd recognize me though..."  
"Retta?" Judy asked.  
"Hey, maybe I was wrong!" the raccoon exclaimed.  
"Retta! How have you been?" Judy inquired.  
"Oh, been better. My boyfriend dumped me when we found out I had cancer; I guess he was scared of any sort of commitment."  
"That's… terrible, I'm sorry to hear that," Judy replied solemnly. Retta laughed.  
"Oh, don't worry about it. He was a terrible mammal anyways."  
"What about the cancer?"  
"Well, it's not too bad. I'm working on getting the money to pay for treatment; it's why I was at the Oasis Hotel: my boss asked me to make an inter-city business trip. You don't know how much I hate Sahara Square, especially with all this extra clothing," she said, motioning to her shawl and sweatshirt, "but if I don't wear it, I look mangy and mammals are afraid to come near me."  
"If you need money, I'll be glad to help," Judy offered.  
"I can't accept, really. On a cop's salary, you're already worse-off than I am." She paused. "Hey, no one's been over to my house in several months, do you two wanna visit?"  
"Sure, why not; I just got out of the hospital, and Nick and I were gonna take it easy this week."  
"Speaking of which, what happened to you? Why the sling?"  
"She got shot in our home by a cop-gone-rogue, fell into a coma," Nick explained grimly.  
"I didn't read anything like that in the news, what's the cop's name?" Retta asked curiously. "And did you say 'our home'? Are you two dating?" she cooed.  
"Kane Wilkins," Nick supplemented, ignoring the second question. Retta's smile faded.  
"I… I'm sorry."  
"Everything alright?" Judy asked.  
"Erm… n- well… It's complicated," Retta replied quietly.

They rode in silence until they reached the destination at which Retta was getting off, and they got off as well; they quietly walked by her side until they reached a neighborhood, and several streets later, walked up to the front door of a somewhat average house. Retta unlocked the front door and motioned for them to enter.  
"Coffee?" she offered, as she made her way into her kitchen.  
"Sure, that sounds lovely," Judy replied.  
Retta set to work brewing a pot of coffee, and set out a small woven basket full of biscuits and cookies, as well as a small tin of chocolates.  
"Help yourselves to cookies and chocolate," Retta offered.  
"We can't eat chocolate, but thanks," Judy replied. Retta gave a nervous chuckle.  
"I'm sorry, it escaped my mind. Last visitor I had was a rodent, and before that, another raccoon."  
They silently sat sipping coffee for several minutes before Nick spoke up.

"You wanna know something really funny, Retta?" Nick asked.  
"Sure."  
"Before Kane kicked the bucket, I was told that he mentioned a certain mammal's name,-"  
Retta shrunk in her seat, and Nick continued.  
"And I don't think us meeting was a coincidence. In fact, Judy and I took the train specifically because we wanted to find you."  
"Why's that?" she asked nearly silently.  
"Because Kane said that you sent him."  
She dropped her mug, which shattered on contact with the floor, splattering its dark contents.  
"I'll go clean that up," she squeaked.  
"Is it true?" Judy asked.  
Retta proceeded to mop up the floor with a towel, and didn't answer.  
"Retta, please, I need to know if it's true," Judy restated.  
The raccoon threw the fragments of the mug into the trash, and wrung the towel out, before taking a new mug and filling it with coffee and returning to her chair.  
"How are the biscuits?"  
"ANSWER HER!" Nick yelled.  
"Please don't kill me..." Retta began to cry. "It's true!"  
Nick stood and began to walk around the table, but Judy stopped him, instead reaching for Retta's paw.  
"Retta, I just want to know why."  
Retta took a deep breath.  
"Kane told me that he knew the culprit of the Badgerly Case and that he wanted to nab _him_. He never mentioned who. I had no orders otherwise, so I called up two others and told them to go help him. I called up the mammal in charge of supplies and he took over from there. I had no idea-"  
"And it never occurred to you that someone could get hurt?!" Nick shouted.  
"I hate this job!" she shrieked back at him. "I only took it because I got fired from my lousy banking job and because they offered me money!"  
"Of course, money. The universal source of evil," Nick muttered.  
"I have late stage IIIb lung cancer, they gave me three months to live without treatment—I don't want money because I want a lavish lifestyle, I just want to live to see tomorrow!" She broke down into tears.  
Judy glared at Nick, whose face took on an expression of remorse.

"Retta, I don't blame you. I just want you to tell me about your job," Judy spoke soothingly.  
"I… I can't. If my boss finds out, he'll have me killed."  
"Retta, we've got Bogo on our side, Hound, a lot of other good cops. We'll crack this case and you won't have to worry."  
"You're four of the only good cops… what, twelve total maybe?"  
"What do you do for your work?"  
"Well, a lot of the time, mobs have someone they want dead, so they pay the higher-ups of my organization; then, I and a few others pull some strings so that our cops are the ones in the right place at the right time, and so that they're looking the other way. Other times, someone needs to get out of prison, so we pull some strings in court. Yet other-"  
"You didn't have anything to do with Badgerly, did you?" Nick asked.  
"Goodness, no! But I'm sure someone else did, and that's why I despise this job."  
"And how big is this organization?" Judy questioned.  
"I'm not quite sure the absolute size, but it's enormous. The mobs come to us, I work for my boss, he works for his boss, et cetera."  
"How far does it go?"  
"Judy, it's turtles all the way down. I don't know who's past my boss, not their names, not their faces. All I know is that my boss is afraid of his boss, like I'm afraid of mine."  
"How'd you get into this mess?"  
"Well, long story short, my boss approached me in the hospital parking lot, when I was sobbing, and said 'Need money?'. Of course I answered yes, so then he offered me a job. When I asked what kind, he said 'Pays well, but you do exactly as you're told.' So here I am, doing exactly as I'm told for enough money to make it from week to week."  
"So who is this boss of yours?"  
"I… I'm sorry, I won't say. He's my only chance to ever getting out of debt, and I can't lose that."  
"You said late stage IIIb, right?" Nick asked.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"What's the survival rate on that, especially considering you said three months untreated?"  
She looked down, and then closed her eyes.  
"Five percent."  
"Yeah, I thought it would be low. How about this, I know someone who can probably cure your cancer."  
"Nicholas, if you're-"  
"Just Nick's fine."  
"Nick, if you're recommending a specialist, don't bother. I've seen every doctor in the city."  
"He's not from the city, and he can work miracles. How about I get him to take a look, and if he can fix you up, which he probably can, you'll tell us about your boss?"  
Retta looked up into his eyes, squinting slightly, deliberating her next move.  
"Deal."

Nick pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the other end of the line picked up, he asked:  
"Kai, can you make a house call?"

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
Precinct One  
Twenty Minutes Prior**

The colonel barged into Bogo's office, his two subordinates close behind.  
"Bogo! I hope you-"  
Bogo was nowhere in sight; instead, an ashen wolf in a long coat sat in Bogo's chair, and Leora sat at the desk beside him.  
"Who the hell are you? Get me Bogo, now!"  
"My, my," Kai spoke. "Where are your manners, you ingrate bastard?"  
"WHAT?!" the warthog shrieked.  
"Your manners. You seem to have lost them."  
"Soldiers, arrest this hooligan! And leopard-whore, what are you doing associating with this trash?"  
The colonel's subordinates began to move in, but after they took two steps, Kai raised a paw to stop them.

"Perhaps you do not know who I am."  
"Perhaps _you_ don't know who _I_ am. I am Colonel Hodge of the Zootopian Army, Commander of the Third Division, Second Order of Lionheart, and you _will_ treat me with respect!"  
"And I, Mr. Hodge, can throw around titles as much as you can."  
"Impress me."  
"I am Kai, Supreme Emperor of and ambassador to the Eastern United Republic, Commander of all her Armies and Navies, Highlord of the Master's Order,-"  
"You just made half that shit up!" Hodge interrupted.  
"Actually, he didn't," Leora testified.  
"Shut up, _whore_."  
Leora scowled.  
"And most importantly, Leora's superior. As it so happens, you went over my head and had her fired via Bogo, did you not?"  
Hodge laughed haughtily.  
"So what?"  
"Do you know what I do to those that go over my head?" Kai posed.  
"I don't really care."  
"Leora, run me through the details: tell me exactly how your previous encounter with this pig went."  
"I am not a-"  
"Shut the fuck up," Kai imposed menacingly.  
Hodge was stunned; no one had stood up to him before, but he remained silent.

"Well, sir: first, I entered Bogo's office to discuss several matters with him; I happened on an argument between Bogo and the colonel. When the colonel found out who I was, he demanded that I be fired due to some egregious rumors; because his rank is higher than Bogo's, the chief had no choice but to comply," Leora explained. Hodge scoffed.  
"Did she lie, Hodge?" Kai inquired.  
"I had her fired because she was a dishonorable discharge, and lied on her police forms. I did the right thing," Hodge explained.  
"It was baseless and you know it, pig!" Leora retorted.  
"Don't call the colonel a pig, wench!" yelled one of Hodge's subordinates.  
Soon, the argument degraded into a shouting match full of baseless accusations and insults. Kai was patiently sitting in the chair, fingers massaging his temples.

The shouting escalated louder and louder, until eventually, Kai demanded silence.  
"Everyone, be quiet!"  
Not a sound came from anyone; the all stared at him, awaiting his next words.  
"I said shut up!" he reiterated.  
"Sir, no one said-" Leora began.  
"Not you, Leora."  
A moment of silence passed awkwardly.  
"Blood, huh? That'll make you shut up?" Kai muttered under his breath.  
"What the fuck is he talking about?" Hodge demanded of his subordinates; they shrugged.  
"Leora, do these three mean anything to you?" Kai asked.  
"Err, not really, why?"  
"Excellent. Can you wait outside?" He removed his covering. "And take my coat with you."  
She lingered momentarily, before taking his coat and exiting the room.

"What's wrong with you, wolf?" Hodge demanded.  
"Bogo and Leora told me the same thing; while you outrank the chief, she can't have her job back," Kai answered, standing from he chair and walking around the desk.  
"Yeah, so? I'm not giving her job back, if that's what you want."  
"Who else knows you're here, other than Bogo?"  
"Military records show that I'm in Zootopia right now."  
"I mean in this room."  
"These two, Bogo, the leopard, and you."  
"I also just found out that Bogo's timesheet updated; he's officially been out of the building for forty-five minutes..."  
"Your point?" Hodge asked, brow raised.  
"Leora was never here..."  
At this point, one of Hodge's subordinates began to connect some dots and immediately backed away, fearful expression on his face.  
"Of course she was, are you completely insane?"  
"And I do not exist."  
"That's it, I've had enough of his prattling. Soldiers, take him in."  
"I want to pose a question," Kai spoke, grinning maliciously and slowly approaching the trio. "Are you afraid?"  
"Don't bare your fangs at me, mongrel," Hodge said, backing away slowly. "Cuff him!"

The subordinate in front of Hodge, the wombat, grabbed Kai's arm; Kai grabbed the wombat's wrist and twisted it, breaking the bones inside; the wombat tried to scream, but Kai slashed his throat with his claws. Blood sprayed, coating the interior of the room, as the mammal grabbed at it's neck in vain; unable to contain the bleeding, the wombat collapsed silently, save for the sound of blood pumping out of the gash in his neck.

The ram tried to run for the door, but Kai grabbed his horns and wrenched it's neck up and to the side, fracturing his cervical spine and killing him instantly. Hodge reached for his gun, but Kai grabbed the knife from his belt and slashed the tendons in his wrist, prompting the warthog to drop his gun on the floor. Kai kicked his leg, snapping his tibia and fibula, collapsing him to the ground.  
"I would toy with you, pig, but I am on a schedule," Kai said, bringing the knife to Hodge's neck.  
"Who are you calling pig!" hissed Hodge, clutching his wrist. "You mongrel son-of-a-bitch?!"  
"Hmph." Kai withdrew his knife, before seizing the warthog's throat. "I suppose I could spare five minutes," he whispered into the mammal's ear, before cackling.

* * *

Kai dialed Bogo on the office phone; three rings, and Bogo picked up.  
"Bogo, you are now the highest rank in the city. I want you to reinstate Leora's job."  
"What did you do?!" Bogo demanded.  
"Let's say that I convinced our good friend the colonel to leave."  
Bogo paused for a brief minute."  
"Very well, her badge is in the upper drawer of my desk. Don't take anything else."  
"Wouldn't dream of it."  
He hung up and began fishing through Bogo's drawers, before retrieving Leora's badge. He exited, locking the door behind him with his lockpick, and took three steps to where Leora was waiting; she was leaning against the railing, eyes closed, coat in her arm. Kai took the coat from her and put it on, and held her badge out.  
"Here, I got you your job back," he said.  
"I'm not sure I want it."  
"Remember, I' m offering double your salary."  
"No thanks."  
"Triple."  
She considered for a moment, before shaking her head.  
"Name your price," Kai offered.  
Leora pondered for a minute, before stating a ridiculous offer.  
"Half a million. One hundred thousand up front."  
Kai tilted his head from side to side, as if weighing the offer in his mind.  
"Deal. Let's go."  
"Wait, what? You're just gonna take the offer, no questions asked?"  
"What, should I ask questions?"  
"I'd rather you didn't, but how do you know I won't run off?"  
"Because I know you are a smart gal; you know I can find you wherever you go, and I can just drag you with me."  
"Fair enough."  
"Then let's go. Time's wasting."  
She took her badge, and noticed that the back side was wet and slightly tacky; she flipped it over to inspect it, and saw that it was smeared in something red and viscous, which smelled of blood.  
"What the hell?" She looked and saw that the wolf was pristine, unsullied by blood. Where, then, had it come from? She approached the door and tried the handle; it was locked.  
"Time's wasting, Leora," Kai spoke impatiently.  
"Why is my badge bloody?"  
"Bogo's fetish?" Kai joked.  
She tried the door again.  
"Open the door."  
"Why? We have a tight schedule to keep."  
"Open the door, or I'm not coming with you."  
"So if I open it, you'll come with me?"  
"… Yes."  
"I'm holding you to that promise."  
Kai unlocked the door.

Leora opened it and stepped inside; the scene was straight from a horror movie: although his two lackeys could be considered clean deaths, the colonel's insides were now more accurately described as 'outsides'. She could tell that he most likely died from suffocation, as his back was carved out and his lungs were pulled through the slits, rendering him incapable of drawing breath. He was covered in lacerations, one of which went straight down the length of his throat, cutting his windpipe; it would explain why she could not hear the slaughter, or his screaming, from outside the door. His detached heart was stuck to the desk, pierced by one of his broken-off tusks. The other was stuck through his liver, which was still attached to his body, and beneath it, his entrails spilled onto the floor.

Leora gagged, and had to exit the room.  
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she demanded.  
Kai locked the room back up.  
"He insulted you."  
"That's some shitty justification, and you know it."  
"You don't need the real reason. Now let's go."  
"I want to hear it."  
"I just couldn't resist the urge."  
"What?"  
"The mind has three components: the id, the ego, and the super-ego."  
"Yeah, I know all about it. Id's your desires and instincts, ego's the conscious thought, and super-ego's your morals."  
"Well, my id demanded that he die, and my super-ego didn't bother complaining." He began walking and Leora followed closely behind.  
"How do you… just… not have any moral inhibitions?"  
"I have morals, this was just an… impulse." He chuckled slightly.

They exited the precinct and stood on the steps.  
"Where to, now?" Leora asked. "I don't suppose you have a car? I can't walk twenty miles."  
"I'm sure we can borrow-" Kai's phone rang; he looked at the screen, and recognized it was Nick. "Inconvenient timing." He answered.

"Kai, can you make a house call?"  
"I'm slightly preoccupied at the moment."  
"We found Retta, and she's willing to talk, if we can cure her cancer."  
"By we, you mean me, right?"  
"Of course, what do I look like, some miracle worker?"  
Kai sighed.  
"What kind of cancer?" Kai asked.  
"She said 'late stage IIIb lung cancer.'"  
"You're killing me, Nick. Absolutely killing me."  
"Can you do it or not?"  
"You said she's a raccoon, correct?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, I'd have to see her to be certain, but I can almost guarantee that most of the drugs I'll have in stock will kill her. I could try retro-viral therapy, but I'm not sure it'll work on a raccoon."  
"I'll just trust you to bring the right stuff."  
"I can be there in… two hours, maybe. Just send me the address." He hung up.

"What was that about?" Leora asked.  
"That fox we rescued yesterday wants me to eradicate late stage three lung cancer."  
"Can you even do that?"  
"Of course I can, but I might accidentally eradicate the raccoon it's in if I'm not careful. Do you own a car? Some way to get back to camp?"  
"I got a motorcycle."  
"Good, drive it there. I'll meet up with you in perhaps four hours, if all goes well. Just practice your aim until then."  
He saluted goodbye and ran off towards the mountains, leaving Leora to walk to her apartment complex's parking garage and retrieve her vehicle.

* * *

 **Edit: Old author's note below, I fixed the typos listed. The upper what-not still applies.**

 **(old)A/N: Hard to believe I started uploading this story 70 days ago. Also I've gotten to that point again where I know what I want in two chapters, but I just need to figure out how to get there (except it's more like 8 or 9 chapters). Prepare for a wild ride. Anyways, three main points.**

 **First, this chapter was fun to write. I wish I could put these out faster so I could get on with planning the next story, but these are deceptively hard to write. If I don't delete what I type, I can end up with Kai's section done in maybe 4 hours, Nick and Judy's in maybe another 6-8 hours. However, I always end up with three or four drafts that I hate and end up deleting after 3k+ words, and then when I finally get something I like for Kai's part, I get tripped up on Nick and Judy's section because their actions have to be logical and well thought-out and empathetic, etc. Also most of these chapters just feel like filler now, even though I'm actually trying to progress story, simply because I'm dealing with consequences from previous actions, which will in turn have their own consequences, and so on. I assure you it's not just filler.**

 **Second, I fixed my mail settings; all I had to do was turn off conversation stacking, who knew. Feel free to send me reviews again. Or not, I've stopped caring.**

 **Lastly, I reread my entire story and I took note of some inconsistencies/typos. If I missed any, PM them to me and I'll correct them in the A/N next chapter:  
***For the first half of the story, I wrote quotes where someone talks a certain way as follows: "Lorem ipsum dolorem sit amet." spoke someone. The grammatically correct way should have been with a comma after the sentence and before the quote instead of a period, "Lorem ipsum dolorem sit amet," spoke someone.  
 ***** In the prologue, I write that Kai's training had something to the effect of 'six of ten survived, of those, three could walk, let alone fight'. Then, in Chapter VI I write 'Mortality rate of 73%'. Let's pretend that I wrote casualty rate instead of mortality rate.  
 ***** A lot of minor typos in the prologue + four or five chapter that would be too numerous to list here, but include forgetting articles like 'a' or 'the'.  
 ***** I already mentioned the typo in Chapter VI where I put Wild Times instead of Nocturnal district, but I'll put it again: I typo'd Wild Times instead of Nocturnal district during Kai's escape from the precinct, after his talk with Bogo.  
 ***** Chapter XI: When Kai charges Felix, just before he breaks his ribs, Felix 'swings his baton'. This was from an earlier draft of the chapter when he allowed them to use some equipment, and I guess I didn't do a good enough job of proofreading the final draft. It should be something along the lines of 'swung his fist'.  
 ***** Det. Hound finds nothing in Nick's apartment, but it occurred to me that Nick would still have the folder on Badgerly, or at least the toxic darts that Kai gave him in an earlier chapter. I guess Hound's age caught up to him?  
 ***** Chapter XII: 'eighty-eighty million' should be 'eighty-eight million'; Kai says 'fifteen billion more of my kind', it should be 'fourteen billion more'; Kai's memory didn't serve him, he actually did say fourteen seconds in the earlier chapter, and not thirteen.  
 ***** Throughout, inconsistent place names. Sometimes it's Precinct 1, sometimes it's Precinct One. Sometimes it's Zootopia Central Hospital, sometimes it's Zootopia General Hospital. I'll try to be consistent from here on out.


	16. Chapter XIII: To Speak the Truth

**Zootopia  
Downtown  
8:10 PM**

Kai was making haste towards Nick's apartment. He had already visited Leora's abode to deposit her agreed-upon one-hundred-thousand dollars, and figured that while he was delivering money, he might as well repay the fox for his medical bills, among other things. He worked as quick as he could with the lock; when he entered, he dropped several stacks of bills on the first table he saw before leaving, locking the door behind him.

He was already late to meeting with someone for the second time; this time, the cause of his untimeliness was lost time in the medical archives researching neurological disorders. It occurred to Kai that he could potentially be losing his mind; seeing that it would interfere with his plans, and potentially lead to his death, he began looking into every article he could on the matter. Nothing fit, of course: schizophrenia was close, but he still had a grip on reality; dissociative identity disorder had potential, but he had no memory lapses to speak of; post-traumatic stress? The notion nearly made him laugh; he was made specifically not to suffer from the disease. No, whatever it was, he couldn't find it in the hour and a half that he spent searching. He would have to dedicate more time in the future, whenever he could secure more time.

He jumped onto the railway, and began following the tracks to the Burrows; he could get there through the streets, but that would involve going through either Sahara Square or Tundratown. Following the railway could lead him through Rainforest District, where the more temperate climate wouldn't damage the integrity of the medication he had packed in his case.

A light shone in the distance: a train approached. Kai leaped to the adjacent track, rain pelting his mask; truth be told, had it not been for the air filters in his respirator, the humidity would have made the air painful to breathe. As the train passed, he jumped back, and entered a tunnel; he would have to move quickly. If a train came, he would need to be in a very specific section of the track to avoid getting crushed between it and the wall. Luckily, no train came, and he soon emerged into the cool summer air of the Burrows. Whatever information the raccoon had would have to be divulged quickly lest he be late for a third time, to the reunion with his squad.

He consulted his map one more time. It wasn't far now.

* * *

 **20 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
8:15 PM**

The sun had nearly set on the six mammals, it's last rays scattering long shadows against the ground. The squad was taking a meal break; they were technically supposed to be done by now, but they collectively decided to take some extra time to lounge, since what Kai didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Rufus, Neal, Felix, and Prance were engaged in a game of euchre amidst conversation with Bjorn, while Leora sat quietly and watched.  
"You stacked the deck, Rufus; whenever you deal I always get a shit hand," Neal complained.  
"Sure, whatever you say," Rufus replied, laughing. His partner for the game, Felix, also laughed.  
"Honestly, I think he's right," Prance piped up. "This is the third time I've also gotten a bad deal. I've counted, by the way: we haven't won a trick yet when you dealt."  
"Yeah, and when you don't deal, Felix reneges," Neal added.  
"Hey, I'm new to this game," Felix defended himself.  
"You're just not good at the game, what can I say?" the wolf taunted0.  
"You Zarrow shuffled," Leora spoke quietly, just as they began the first trick.  
"Hmm? You say something?"  
"You false shuffled. You riffled the cards wrong, then cut them apart and stacked them back in the same order they were in before."  
"I KNEW IT!" Neal celebrated, throwing his hand at the wolf before performing a small victory dance.  
"You ruined the fun," Felix jested. "We wanted to see how long it would take before he would notice on his own with his 'sniper's gaze'."  
"Hey, I have steady paws and far sight, that's it."

"Say, Leora, you haven't talked since you got here," Bjorn observed. "Care to tell us about what happened?"  
"It's not worth talking about."  
"You almost didn't come back. There has to be something worth mentioning."  
Leora closed her eyes and shook her head.  
"How about a little incentive..." Rufus stated, walking to a crate beside the truck and pulling out an amber-colored glass bottle, wiggling it in the air tantalizingly. "I want to hear this story, too."  
"And that bottle is?"  
"You sly dog!" Felix roared with laughter. "We found it snooping around, it was packed behind the other ammo crates. Looks like whiskey to me, but Rufus insists it's brandy."  
"Well, what does the label say?"  
"We… don't know. It's in some foreign language."  
"Then how do you know it's liquor?"  
"80 proof. Only part we can read."  
"Why would he bring..." she trailed off.  
"Who cares, but he brought seven shot glasses, so I can only assume it's for us. _And that it's whiskey_." He shot a glare at Rufus, who glared back.  
Leora laughed.  
"You are the dumbest bunch of mammals I have ever seen. Fine, I'll entertain you."  
Felix and Rufus pumped their fists, and Rufus brought the bottle, as well as the glasses.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, leaning forward and propping her head on her clasped paws.  
"How'd you get fired?" Bjorn responded.  
"It's a fairly long story."  
Rufus handed her a shot glass full of light orange liquid.  
"Alright, but you know he's not going to be happy when he finds out."  
"Let us handle that," Rufus spoke slyly, winking.  
She sipped slowly from the rim of the glass, bitter liquid burning the inside of her mouth; she spit it out.  
"It's bitter!"  
"You ever drink before? It's alcohol, it's supposed to be bitter; that's why you're not supposed to sip it," Felix explained, downing his shot quickly; he gagged slightly. "Now that you mention it, it is very bitter," he choked out, looking at the glass; everyone laughed slightly.  
She shrugged and downed the shot as well, choking back tears as it stung her throat.  
"So, the story?" Rufus suggested.  
"Okay, fine. So I walked up to Bogo's office, just wanted to chat with him; I heard a really heavy argument on the inside," Leora began.  
"Sounds like Bogo," Neal laughed.  
"Yeah, so I knocked, he told me to come in; there was a warthog, a ram, and a wombat, in military fatigues; the warthog was the one in charge. Bogo asked them to wait for ten minutes, and they yelled at him. Warthog demanded to know who would dare interrupt his conversation," she explained, motioning with her paws. "Bogo tells him my full title, all prestigious like: 'Technician Lieutenant Leora'. Apparently, he recognized my name, as well as my… less than stellar record."  
"'Less than stellar?'" Felix asked.  
"I… Well anyway, he demanded that Bogo put the city on lockdown, and that he fire me, because 'how dare that whore aspire to be anything in life', or something."  
"No..." Prance mouthed. "He didn't!"  
"Bet your ass he did. Pulled the 'superior officer' card, and Bogo didn't stand up for me. So… I got fired."  
"Bogo didn't stand up for you?" Bjorn questioned, taking interest in the statement.  
"He could have disobeyed and nothing would have come of it; the military would have yelled at him, but sided with him in the end. The pig had no right to have me fired, especially for the reason he did."  
"What reason? Was it because of your military record?" Felix asked again.  
"I'd rather not say."  
"We won't tell anyone," Neal piped up.  
"I trust you all, I just don't think that I'm quite over it, myself."  
"Well," Rufus said, topping her glass off, "Maybe you just haven't had enough liquid courage."  
"Are you trying to get me drunk?"  
The wolf smirked, the glow of the campfire cast a deep shadow across his face as he downed a shot of his own.  
"Alright. I got a court martial for 'assaulting a superior officer,'" Leora spoke softly, before drinking her shot.  
They stared at her.  
"That can't be, you don't seem like that kind of mammal," Bjorn stated, matter-of-factly.  
"Well, life sucks sometimes."  
"Hey, cheer up. I'm living a lie too," Felix brought up.  
"How so?"  
"That monastery business? I never really mastered martial arts there; they kicked me out when I was fifteen because the old head monk passed away, and the new one didn't like me. After that, I went around, wandering from place to place, looking for anyone that would take me in. Eventually, I found a family that fed me, clothed me, and gave me enough money to take a boat to Zootopia. Here, I met another aspiring martial artist, and we just… I don't know, worked something out, I guess? Taught ourselves everything we needed to know."  
"What happened to him?" Prance asked.  
" _Her_ ; she thought she could take care of herself, but no amount of skill can save anyone forever. In the end her husband, her husband of all mammals, just put a bullet in her ribs and threw her off the docks because he thought she was cheating on him." He fell silent. "That's why I became a cop."  
"I… I'm sorry," Leora stated solemnly.  
"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Alright, Bogo fired you. So what? Why didn't you bother coming back?" Prance inquired moments later, changing the subject.  
She buried her face in her paws.  
"I… I'm not sure, I guess I just felt betrayed. I wasn't thinking straight; it wasn't anything against you lads."  
Rufus poured her another glass, and she drank it quickly.  
"Eh, we don't blame you. I'm sure I would have done the same, were I in your place," Felix comforted her. She nodded.  
"Yeah, me too," Neal exclaimed. "So, how did Kai convince you to come back?"  
"Oh," she stuttered, turning flush. "He sort of… carried me to the station. I don't wanna…"  
Felix burst out laughing.  
"Carried how?"  
"Like, over his shoulders."  
Everyone was laughing now.  
"To be fair, he did say I was going whether I wanted to or not, I just didn't take him seriously."  
"And you didn't try to stop him?"  
"You try to get out of his hold!" Leora proclaimed, flustered.  
Felix laughed so hard that he began to dry heave; she smacked him upside his head, nearly knocking him off of the crate he sat upon.  
"He marched me up to Bogo's office, sat me in that chair, and berated him, _hard_ ," she proclaimed with conviction.  
"And he just took it? You're serious?" Prance asked. She nodded, affirming the statement.  
"He blamed the warthog, so Kai kicked Bogo out of his office while we waited for the colonel to show up."  
"Are you… absolutely sure we're talking about the same Bogo?" Prance asked, once more.  
"Yes, I'm serious. The colonel showed up and tried to have us arrested, so Kai yelled at him too, and then the colonel berated me and tried to justify firing me, so I yelled back; anyways, Kai asked me to wait outside, and maybe five, ten minutes later, he came out with my badge."  
"He convinced the colonel to give your job back? That's great!" Rufus exclaimed, pouring yet another shot.  
"Well..." Leora began, giving a nervous chuckle. "Not exactly."  
The wolf merely gave a puzzled expression, so Felix stepped in.  
"What do you mean?" he inquired.  
"He gave me my badge as-is," she explained, showing the blood-encrusted backside, "So I tried to go inside. Of course, he locked the door, and I demanded he open it up, using me not going back as leverage. He gave in and unlocked it; guess who I found smeared on three walls and the floor?" She chuckled again.  
"He… _killed_ a high-ranking military official?!" Bjorn spoke, uneasily.  
"Well, I was pretty shocked to find him, and I would agree with you that it's a bad thing, but I say good riddance." She drank her shot.  
"Does he have any sense of repercussion? When they find him in Bogo's office, do you know what they're going to do?!" Felix raged.  
"What can they do? Bogo has an alibi."  
"They'll seize his chain of command!"  
"Well, we'll deal with that problem once we get to it." She held her glass for Rufus to refill. "Oh, I forgot to mention: he offered me half a million to come back, so I guess I'm loaded now."  
"Where does he get that kind of money?" Neal asked.  
"Well, he is a diplomat. Hey, Rufus, how many more bottles of this stuff do we have?" she asked, raising her glass slightly.  
"At least three more, why?"  
"Well, we have at least an hour and a half until he gets back; now that I'm tipsy, I really shouldn't be holding guns. So, why not have some fun?"  
"I still have my cards, I'm sure we can do Blackjack or something."  
"When he gets back, he's gonna kill us," Neal reminded them.  
"Well, as _Technician Lieutenant Leora_ said, we'll deal with that problem when we come to it, right?" Felix replied slyly, raising his glass.

Neal shrugged. He couldn't punish them all, could he?

* * *

 **Zootopia  
The Burrows  
8:22 PM**

"You're late," Nick spoke, opening the door for Kai; a paranoid Retta insisted for him not to open the door, until Nick assured her it was the correct individual on the other side.  
"My apologies. I had to locate the correct pharmaceuticals, and when I was synthesizing some not in stock, I got... sidetracked in research."  
"Researching raccoon cancer I hope?" Retta piped up from the kitchen.  
"No."  
"Cancer in general?"  
"I'm afraid not."  
"Raccoon anatomy and physiology?"  
"Negative."  
"What were you doing then?" Nick asked, impatiently, as Kai stepped in.  
"It's unimportant."

The wolf brought a medium-sized metal case to the kitchen table, and placed it flat atop.  
"Retta, was it?" he asked, opening the case to reveal a large number of vials and other supplies.  
"Yes."  
"How much do you weigh?"  
"Sixty-two pounds, I think."  
"You think?"  
"Last week I measured in at sixty-two."  
"Very well," Kai said, patting the table gently. "Hop up."  
Retta climbed on the chair, and then onto the table, sitting where he indicated. Kai pulled out a small metal rack, expanding it into an IV pole; onto it, he hooked a bag of saline.  
"I need to see your arm," Kai spoke assertively. Retta removed her cardigan to reveal a bare arm, hardly covered in any fur. Kai took it and inspected it, feeling the upper arm. "Now, I'm no veterinarian. I have no idea how to find veins in animals and, even if I did, I wouldn't have time, so you'll have to forgive me."  
"Animal?! Excuse me?" Retta protested, gently pulling her arm away; Kai didn't release it.  
"My terminology gets the better of me, I meant no offense."  
"Wait, forgive you for what?"  
Kai retrieved a small, pistol-shaped device with a needle on one end; as he pulled the trigger, it whirred to life. He set it down momentarily to sterilize a small portion of her upper arm.  
"What are you going to do with that?"  
"I'll just put in an IO line."  
"A wha-" She was interrupted by Kai drilling the needle into her humerus, before detaching it from the drill, taping it in, and attaching it to the saline. "Ow!"  
Kai adjusted several dials on the line.

"Now," Kai began, "I was assured that you would speak. I need to know everything about who you work for; names, locations, appearances, and so on."  
"Hold on, they promised you would treat my cancer, first," Retta protested.  
"And I will try. However, the pharmaceuticals I have are… strong. They will cure cancer every time in my species, but for a raccoon… It's uncertain whether or not you will survive."  
"WHAT?!"  
"Way to scare her," Nick quipped.  
"Is he even a real doctor?!" Retta asked.  
"I'm… actually not certain," Judy replied. "But he saved me and Nick several times."  
"Almost killed us too-" Nick started before Judy whacked him on the back of the head.  
"The issue is in the splicing; viruses are hard to manage," Kai explained.  
"What kind of doctor doesn't know how to do that?!"  
"I'm not a doctor."  
Retta's eyes widened.  
"Don't waste my time, raccoon. I'm on a very tight schedule as it is, and the only reason I agreed to this 'house call' was because it sounded easier than option two."  
"Option two?" Retta asked, voice wavering.  
"Excruciating torture."  
"What did you get me into!" she yelled at Nick.  
"Hey, you just-"

"Everyone shut up, I am on a _very_ tight schedule and I have absolutely zero time to waste," Kai quietly stated.  
"Tight schedule?" Retta squeaked.  
"I only came here because Nick assured me that you had information provided that I had a cure for cancer. I have my end of the bargain, and I expect yours."  
"Well, let's see it."

Kai pulled out a small vial from the case.  
"Now, I need you to tell me about your boss. I can't risk losing the only lead I have on your life," Kai demanded.  
"And I can't risk you running off on me," Retta countered.  
"He's good on his word, I promise you," Nick said. "Besides, he's not even a doctor, but you're trusting him with your life."  
"Well… alright. I'll give you _some_ information. Then you fix me."  
"Perhaps I was not clear, when I said 'I was in a hurry,'" Kai fumed.  
"It'll only take a couple of hours, right?"  
"I have to be twenty miles outside of the city in an hour and a half, and before then, I have to make a few stops. Explain to me, how do you think I can manage that?"  
"You'd better manage or I'm not talking."  
"Talk _or I will gut you_."  
"I'm dying in three months anyways. Half or no dice."  
Kai groaned in disgust, and retrieved a vial of panacea from the case.  
"You don't actually expect her to..." Nick began.  
"It's for the worst case," he explained, retrieving several other miscellaneous articles from the case. "Cancer treatment of my era worked through viral immunotherapy. I am fairly certain that I spliced it flawlessly, but viruses have a tendency to be tricky, to not target the correct cells. Now, since I can't afford under any circumstance to lose her, I am resorting to going straight to the red vial. You, raccoon, now get my presence for two hours. Speak."  
"Alright, I work under a panda named Yun. Never gave me a last name."  
"Where do I find him?"  
"Tomorrow, Oasis Hotel. After that, no guarantee."  
"Where in the Oasis Hotel? It's the largest building in Sahara Square."  
"I'll tell you after."  
Kai took in a deep breath, holding it for an extended period of time.  
"Any description?"  
"Later."  
"Fine. A 'panda named Yun at the Oasis Hotel tomorrow' is all I need, even if you pass out."

He took the small vial and attached it to the feed line for the saline, before rotating a small knob; the fluid flowed out of the vial into the line, and into Retta's arm. She gave no immediate reaction to it, and merely sat straight.  
"You two," Kai spoke to Judy and Nick. "Every three minutes, ask her a question. Any question. If she fails to respond, answers in a way that a normal mammal would not, or complains about something, come get me."  
"And where are you going?" Nick asked.  
"If I have to waste two hours, I may as well rest," he said, whereupon he walked into the next room, sat on his knees, and closed his eyes.  
"Who sleeps like that?" Retta asked quietly.  
"I will ask that you refrain from talking unless you have something important to say," he asked in a grumbling tone from the other room.  
"How did he hear that?"  
"Please stop."  
Nick began staring at his watch.

* * *

"Alright, favorite food?"  
"Well, chocolate, I guess."  
Retta had answered reasonably fourteen times prior, this marked the fifteenth; all appeared to be going well.  
"How much longer do I have to do this?" Retta asked. "I'm starting to feel tired."  
"I dunno, let me ask," Nick replied, strolling to where Kai was kneeling. He tapped the wolf on the shoulder gently, muttering his name.  
"What is it?" Kai asked, irritated, eyes still shut.  
"Were you even asleep?"  
"Meditating. What do you need?"  
"Retta wants to know how much longer it's going to be, it's already been-"  
"Forty-five minutes, I know."  
"How did you-"  
"I counted the ticking on your watch. It could take up to two hours."  
Nick rolled his eyes.  
"She says that she's getting tired."  
"Fatigue is a normal symptom."  
"I'm sure she would feel better if she could talk to you."  
"I would feel better if I could be talking to other people; instead, here I am, stuck in Alice's Wonderland, talking to Muppets."  
"What?"  
"Fine. As long as she tells me more about this panda."

Kai stood slowly, and the duo returned to the table.  
"I'm sure you heard, but it could take up to another hour-fifteen," Nick explained.  
"Would you, in the meantime, care to tell me more about this panda?"  
"Well, I guess. You don't look like you're leaving," Retta reasoned. "He's a little taller than you, rotund, dresses in a suit, and wears a symbol of some sort around his neck, I can't imagine why."  
"A symbol?"  
"Yeah, hard to explain; it's not just jewelry, you'll know it when you see it. I don't think it's a gang sign, but I can't be certain."  
Kai laughed.  
"Perhaps a religious icon. Where in the Oasis Hotel?"  
"Suite One, off of the upper observation deck. When I went there today, he had a lot of guards. Hired security and not cops, probably, since I didn't recognize any of them. All armed."  
"That won't be a problem."  
"Your funeral buddy, not mine." She shivered. "I'm getting kind of cold."  
"Put something on."  
Judy draped the cardigan back over Retta's shoulders.

Another five questions passed.  
"Can I lay down?" Retta pleaded.  
"How can I tell if you are conscious if you do so?" Kai questioned.  
She groaned, and coughed slightly.

Seven more questions, and at the end of the last, she fell into a coughing fit.  
"Are you alright?" Judy asked. Retta nodded, coughing to clear her throat.  
"Yes," she rasped.  
"Is this bad?" Judy asked of Kai.  
"Well, we are trying to get rid of her advanced lung carcinoma in two hours, so it's only natural that she would experience some respiratory distress," he explained, shrugging.  
"Wait, what? All of my cancer, in two hours?" Retta wheezed. "I thought you'd be coming back several more times. That's why I was so hesitant to tell you about my boss."  
"What kind of crook do you take me for?" Kai queried rhetorically, shaking his head.

After another three questions, Retta started to cough up bright red blood. She was tugging on Kai's coat, and he began to fish through the case.  
"Wait, you're not going to use the red vial?! She's coughing blood!" Nick spoke in an escalated tone.  
Kai retrieved a syringe of clear liquid, and pushed the liquid through the IO line.  
"That just means that it's working. The 'red vial' would stop it entirely."  
Nick stared, mouth agape, unable to comprehend why Kai wasn't taking the problem seriously.  
"Just another half-hour," Judy reassured to the raccoon.

"Favorite food?" Nick asked.  
"You just-" Judy interjected, before Nick silenced her.  
"Bisc… no, choc… er, um… Raspberries?" Retta finally returned.  
"Kai, she answered chocolate last time," Nick protested.  
"It's not much to worry about. She still answered."  
Nick rolled his eyes.

Another three questions passed with no incident.  
"Retta, what color are Judy's eyes?"  
She stared intently into Judy's eyes for about fifteen seconds.  
"They're, erm… What's the word for it? Nick, what's the color when you mix blue and red?"  
"Kai?!"  
"She's fine."  
"She's not!"  
"At any rate, fifteen more minutes."  
Nick covered his face and gave a stifled scream.

"Alright, Re-" Nick stopped when he noticed something off-putting. "Retta, hold out your arm."  
She held out her free arm, which Nick took and inspected the underside. It was internally hemorrhaging and extremely bruised.  
"Kai, you can't possibly ignore this any longer!"  
"Very well. Lay her down for me."  
Nick and Judy helped the raccoon lie down, as Kai replaced the previous vial on the IO line with the red one; it flowed down the tube and into Retta's arm. As it entered, she began squirming, but Kai held her firmly in place.  
"What are you doing to her?!" Judy demanded.  
"Hold her down," he answered; when they grabbed hold of her, he let go.  
"Where are you going?!" Nick asked furiously.  
"I need to plan. I'll be in the next room. Call me back in half an hour, or if she stops breathing. Preferably the former."  
He left before they could reply.  
"Plan what?" Retta asked weakly.  
"Who knows. He's insufferable," Nick answered. "How do you feel?"  
"Very tired… everything hurts. I just want to take a nap."  
"Don't fall asleep just yet, okay?"  
"Fine."

The next half hour was very worrisome; Retta was complaining of fatigue and would try to fall asleep, and Nick and Judy would have to keep her awake and reassure her that everything was alright. Eventually, Nick went to retrieve Kai from the other room.  
"Half an hour's up."  
"I know," the wolf responded. He was sitting cross-legged, which was an incredibly strange stance for a mammal to be in; it was, however, the least of Nick's concerns.  
"She had better be alright, or I swear-"  
"She'll be fine. You two wait here, there's something I want to see."  
"We'll be by her side."  
"I'll be using a radioscope, so unless you want to be irradiated, you should wait here."  
Nick grumbled, but called Judy over.

Kai walked in to where Retta was and closed the door; he pulled from his case a two-part apparatus; one had a pad that emitted an x-ray flash, and the other was a scope that received it and displayed it. He set it up, with Retta in the middle, and stepped out of the aperture.  
"What're you setting up?" she asked.  
"I want to be thorough. I'd hate for you to call me a phony."  
He took the picture, and went in to examine it. He could see that her lungs were scarred, as well as some surrounding tissue, but found no sign of active tumors.  
"Well, good news and bad news. Good news is that most of your cancer is gone. Bad news is you'll still probably have to do some chemotherapy when you next visit your doctor."  
"Hey, mostly gone? That's something I can live with. All I have to do is figure out how to afford treatment."  
Kai withdrew a stack of bills from within his coat, and placed it on the table.  
"This is leftover from my earlier business. I don't have a use for it, so take it. You can repay me later."  
Retta nodded.  
"Oh, one more thing about Yun," she spoke up. "He's very flexible, mild-tempered. If you can, try not to hurt him. He's only scary when he gets mad, and I've only seen him mad once, when another subordinate of his majorly messed up."  
"Very well; you should know that diplomacy is my strong suit," he replied with a sly smile; she didn't notice, as she had shut her eyes moments before.

He withdrew the needle from her arm, and neatly packed away the rest of his equipment into the case.  
"Nick, I have a lot of business elsewhere that I am currently very late for. I suppose this concludes your task; you can return at your leisure."  
"Wait, can you escort us home?"  
"Are you not an adult?"  
"I don't like walking out on the streets in this part of town after dark."  
Kai sighed.  
"I'm already going to be at least an hour and a half late, I might as well be twenty minutes more. I'll follow close behind. You'd better be ready to leave shortly."  
"Sure thing, give me a minute."

He and Judy helped Retta to her feet and took her to her bedroom; they returned fifteen minutes later.  
"I said shortly," Kai reminded Nick, impatiently.  
"Relax, I wanted to make sure she wouldn't die in the middle of the night."  
"I assure you she won't."  
They stepped out the door, turning the lights off and locking the door behind them.  
"You two go on, I'll be around."  
"Wait a minute, you're not just saying that, are you?" Nick asked, eying him suspiciously.  
He grinned.  
"You're the worst."  
Kai bolted through the night, disappearing from their sight.  
"Shit. Better hurry, Carrots."  
They made haste for the train station.

* * *

 **20 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
12:20 AM**

Kai had wasted well over half an hour watching over the fox and his rabbit from the shadows; of course, as luck would have it, nothing had happened. He had made several stops in the city, and then returned to his bunker to stow the case, as well as to restock his supplies, before returning to the camp; by then, an enormous amount of time had passed, and he was extraordinarily late.

As he approached the camp, something seemed off. There was no activity to be seen at all, save for a stocky figure prodding at the dying glow of a campfire. When he got close enough to discern individual figures, he noticed the figure was Bjorn; next to him, struggling to sit upright, was Neal; sprawled out around the campfire were the rest of his team, out cold.

He silently crept up and sat on the crate between Bjorn and Neal, unnoticed. Eventually, Neal turned and gave Kai an intense, inebriated gaze.  
"Bjorn, did you get small?" he slurred, quietly.  
"No, I-" Bjorn turned to check on the fox, and met Kai's unnerving stare.  
"So," Kai stated, simply.  
"Sir."  
"Oh, you're not Bjorn, you're Rufus! I'm amazed you got back up after putting so many shots back!" Neal exclaimed, hiccuping afterward.

Kai picked up the amber bottle, now carelessly discarded by the fireplace, stared down the neck, and tipped it upside-down; a single drop fell from the lip.  
"Well, I can't express with words how disappointed I am," Kai spoke after a lengthy pause.  
"I suppose I should mention that I don't drink," Bjorn stated.  
"So the five of them finished a bottle by themselves?"  
"Actually, they polished off two bottles."  
"Two bottles, huh? I was saving it for the end of the week, but I guess there's no point, now."

"Out of curiosity, was it brandy or whiskey?"  
"Why would you think it was either?"  
"It was forty percent liquor, and it was about the right color."  
Kai laughed.  
"It's eighty, and it's akvavit."  
"But the bottle said eighty proof!"  
"Eastern proofing method; they decided having proof be double the percentage of alcohol content was irrational, so they changed it."  
"We may have a problem then."  
"How so?"  
"Neal may have had only three shots, but Leora had maybe fourteen, Rufus and Felix had nine, and I think Prance had eight."  
"They're still breathing, they'll live; however, I won't save them from the hangover."  
"So wait, you're not mad?"  
"I'm just disappointed. I'll let them sleep it off, but tomorrow we're going back into the city. I have a new sortie for you."  
"What kind?"  
"The raccoon gave me my next lead: a panda named Yun, at the Oasis Hotel. Tomorrow, only."

Bjorn thought for a moment.  
"Wait, you mean in Sahara Square?"  
"Is that a problem?"  
"I mean, four of us are arctic, and none of us are desert mammals; we'll stick out."  
"I came prepared," Kai replied, fishing out small packets from inside of his coat and rattling them.  
"Those are?"  
"Dye."  
"What for?"  
"No canvas as good as a white one," he suggested.  
"Wait… you want us to die our coats? We already retain heat, if we'll be any darker, we'll just roast alive."  
"The inside of the hotel is air conditioned. Besides, you won't be that much darker."  
"The next darker bear is the brown bear; brown is pretty dark."  
"Well, you'll have to compromise for the team. I have gray for Rufus, auburn for Neal, and tan for Felix; it's the least conspicuous arrangement."  
"You do realize that Neal painted red won't look like a red fox, right?"  
"Well, you and I and other arctic mammals will know that, but most desert-dwellers will not know the difference, or won't care enough to ask."

"So, what now?" Bjorn asked, prodding the glowing embers once more.  
"I would say to get ready, but seeing as the five of them are piss drunk, I guess we just wait until they wake up."  
Bjorn massaged the back of his neck.  
"I meant to kill the time," he replied, cautiously.  
"I could continue where I left off in my retelling of Greek myths."  
"Sure, I'd like to hear it."

* * *

Leora awoke with an agonizing headache: it felt like someone had trapped her head in a vice and was slowly rotating the lever-arm inwards, compressing tighter and tighter; she wasn't sure how much further the 'vice' could go before she would just die. She was parched, in addition to famished, and felt horrible pain in her abdomen. She had never drank in excess before, certainly never had a hangover; this was a horrible first experience.

She slowly opened her eyes to see the very blurry image of her being the last one to wake up; everyone else was already upright, in one form or another, be it eating, conversing, or in one case, packing. She tried to sit up, but as she did, she had an intense and sudden urge to vomit, so instead, she just rolled onto her side. She saw the shadow of someone approach, so she turned her head to look at them; it was Bjorn.  
"Need help?" he asked, extending a paw.  
She nodded, and made a feeble attempt to reach it. Bjorn closed the rest of the distance and pulled her to her feet, supporting her weight by wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He took her to a crate, where he sat her down, and gave her water. She finished the flask in seconds, and quickly handed it back; Bjorn threw a ration on the fire to heat, and resumed packing supplies.

She took a minute to look around, now that her vision had cleared up somewhat: everyone else was seated around her, save for Bjorn, who was the only one doing any tangible amount of work; they were discussing something that she couldn't quite discern, although she could pick out various words, like 'hot', and 'disguise'.  
"What'd I miss?" she asked, groggily.  
"Oh, you're up," Felix answered quietly.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"No, I just… you drank a lot. Gave a whole new definition to 'party animal.'"  
"Yeah, and I feel like shit. What did I miss?"  
"Well, we're going on a mission in… what, two hours?"  
"No, you can't be serious!" Leora exclaimed, burying her head in her paws.  
"We're going to Sahara Square."  
"Fuck," she murmured, before falling off of the crate, dejected. Prance leaned over to pick her up, placing her back on the crate.  
"Yeah, but you have it easy. He wants us to dye our fur dark so we don't stand out. We'll die in that heat," Neal spoke.  
"Neal, she can barely sit straight, and you're going red; Bjorn has to go dark brown, so quit crying," Felix berated.

"Can one of you get me water?" Leora asked feebly, rubbing her temples. "I feel like a total tool. I don't know how I let you convince me to drink so much."  
Rufus handed her a flask, which she again greedily drank dry in moments.  
"I guess I'm to blame," he said solemnly. "I just wanted us to have a good time; I guess I got carried away."  
"I guess you did," she replied, motioning for more water; he went to refill the flask, and returned it to her.  
"He told us to be ready by the time he gets back," Felix explained.  
"Which you said was in what, two hours?"  
"Thereabouts."  
"Where is he?"  
"He said he was gonna go scouting, and that he needed to get some equipment of his own."

Satisfied with the explanation, and partly because she was too hungry to ask anything else, Leora fished her ration from the heat and ate; she drank more than she thought possible and soon, her headache and stomachache began to subside. Eventually, she felt fit enough to begin packing her gear; she opted for the vest from last mission, as well as the dart gun with ample ammunition; on top, she would wear a light duster to keep sand from pelting her raw, as well as to conceal her equipage. Strangely, even though she was the last one up, she was the second one ready after Prance, as the rest had yet to dye their fur.

The process was an ordeal; Kai had brought them powdered dye, which would have been fine, had they had tubs in which to soak. Instead, they had to mix the powder with water from the river, fill a bottle with the mixture, splash it on, and rub it in until it set; after it set, the excess would have to be washed off, lest it leech into the clothing they wore. Getting an even color was the most difficult task; as such, Leora and Prance volunteered to help, with Leora helping Felix, and Prance covering Neal; Rufus and Bjorn opted to wait until the helping hands freed up, so as not to get the wrong colors on each other.

The process was not pleasant for either party; Felix and Neal had to disrobe so as not to stain their clothing, and then tolerate being soaked and having dye rubbed into their pelage.  
"Leora, could you please hurry this up?" Felix urged, embarrassed.  
"I'm just trying to be thorough so you don't look like a clown," she replied, equally so. "Just pretend we're married or something, hell, I don't know."  
"You're really not helping."  
Neal sat much quieter; however, ears drooped and eyes closed, he was clearly displeased.

After the dye had set and they had made sure not to miss any spots, they rinsed off the excess in the river; Felix was nearly indistinguishable from a common yellow leopard, albeit ever-so-slightly darker; Neal had the correct coloration for a red fox, including even the white tail tip and darker socks, but his shorter limbs and barreled chest gave away his identity.

Rufus was giving instruction as to how to distribute the pigmentation to Leora as she was working in the dye, while Bjorn told Prance to 'just give an even coat, preferably lighter than darker' so as to spare him from the unbearable heat of the sun. The end result was a perfect replica of a gray wolf, and a brown bear with a slightly elongated snout. In less than forty minutes, their team had gone from four white mammals to none, easing all suspicion of them being in Sahara Square.

Eventually, Kai had returned from the city, wearing his ambassadorial regalia.  
"Sir, aren't you going to put on some real equipment? We are expecting resistance, right?" Leora asked.  
He looked them up and down.  
"First, I should say I'm impressed with how well you prepared, considering your… less than graceful state three hours ago. You are right; we might encounter resistance. However, they wouldn't dare fire upon an ambassador."  
"These are criminals we're talking about, sir."  
"Well informed criminals, no doubt. They would know the consequences of assaulting a dignitary."  
"In any case, what are we going to be up against?"  
"Our target is a panda, and he should be wearing an icon of some sort, but I didn't get close enough to see; if my intel is any good, his name is Yun. Surrounded by security, of course."  
"What's the plan?"  
"I would have Neal set up on an adjacent rooftop with Prance, but there are no adjacent rooftops. So, the two of you are coming inside with the rest of us." Neal breathed a sigh of relief, as did Prance. "They are in a room attached to the upper observation deck, so the five of you sans Leora will keep watch outside. You, Leora, will come in with me as we perform negotiations."  
"Why does she always get to go with you?" Rufus inquired.  
"You are too quiet."  
He didn't reply.  
"Any questions?"  
"What exactly are we doing on the observation deck?" Prance asked.  
"Keeping the general peace; you are there so I do not appear alone. Normally, I would have a more detailed plan, but in this case, I guess the most appropriate phrase is 'wing it'."  
No one else asked anything.  
"Very well, let us move."

They all packed into the transport, and drove towards Sahara Square.

* * *

 **A/N: In case any of you are wondering where Leora and crew obtained the duster jackets, I imagine that in a police carrier in a city with such wacky climate zones, they would have some sort of various equipment on hand; at least different coats in case they had to do field work for an extended period.**

 **Finally broke 100,000 words. Yay me. I'm not sure what I'm even doing with my life anymore, but since at least two people want this story, I guess I'll keep writing. Actually, I think the story's starting to get a little good again.**


	17. Chapter XIV: Appeasing False Royalty

**Zootopia  
Sahara Square  
The Oasis Hotel  
2:30 PM**

Leora left the vehicle parked inconspicuously several streets away, and not in direct view of the hotel, so as not to draw attention to themselves. The walk through the desert heat was tolerable for her and Prance, but was torture for the rest of the mammals; Kai gave no indication to any discomfort in the heat; quite the contrary, he seemed to relish in it, as though he had not been warm for centuries.

They approached the lavish hotel's entrance; the hotel was shaped like an enormous palm, with the rooms located in the trunk, and the observatory in the top, shaded by the fronds. The first set of glass doors slid open automatically, and they quickly entered; the second set were opened by a camel in formal attire, who ushered them in so as not to let the cold out. Neal was visibly pleased to be in an air conditioned environment, although the rest gave more silent approval.

They occupied the express elevator, riding it to the observation platform near the top level; the doors opened, and Leora quickly noticed an abundance of timberwolves wearing matching jackets: the panda's private security. Amidst them were interspersed various other mammals, most likely tourists or other hotel guests looking at the scenery.  
"Spread out," Kai mentioned discretely, as he grabbed her shoulder and exited the car. The rest of them quickly dispersed into the crowd.

"Where are we headed?" Leora asked.  
"Suite One."  
"And where, precisely, is that?"  
He tapped a guard on the shoulder.  
"What?" the wolf responded in a gruff voice.  
"I wish to speak with your employer."  
"He isn't taking guests now."  
"He will see me, or we're going to have a problem."  
The wolf put a paw on his tranquilizer, and Kai rested his paw on the hilt of his sword.  
"Don't bother," Kai began. "It's two on one."  
The wolf considered his options, before removing his paw.  
"Fine, follow me."

He led them around a corner, and through a narrow hallway to a set of double doors marked "1", where a pair of guards were standing watch.  
"Hey, who's this?" one of them asked.  
"Wants to see the panda," the wolf replied.  
"So?"  
"Let's say that I am… in need of something that Yun can provide for me," Kai spoke.  
"Doesn't matter, he's not taking visitors now."  
"And if that visitor happened to be an ambassador?"  
The guards glared at each other, and Kai took the opportunity to knock firmly on the door.  
"Hey!-" one of them protested.  
"What is it?" a low voice layered with a thick accent answered from inside.  
"It's nothing," the guards replied.  
"Well clearly, someone knocked. A firm knock like that, it couldn't be nothing. Let him in."  
They gave him a death glare, and opened the door for him.

Kai entered with Leora, and the door closed behind them, plunging the room into a dimly lit state, the only light coming from a small lamp in the corner; the room itself was fairly large, and there were numerous sentries posted inside, all silent, all out of sight.  
"Turn the lights on," the voice spoke. A sentry flicked the switch, and the room was illuminated. The voice was revealed to come from a panda, kneeling on the floor facing the door; he was wearing a bathrobe, and around his neck was a small jade jewel, shaped like a comma, threaded on a rope; it was cracked from many years of wear. The panda opened his eyes to examine his intruders.

"Greetings, ambassador," he finally answered. "What brings you to my temporary abode?"  
"I presume that you are Yun?"  
"Yes, you have presumed correctly. I ask again: what business have you here?" His tone was slightly irritated.  
"I seek information; information that I was told you might be able to provide."  
Yun's eyes shifted.  
"What sort of information?"  
"I was told that your business is one of pulling strings, and that you are not the head of said business. I want to know who is."  
Yun laughed.  
"And what are you willing to offer in return?"  
"What do you want?"  
"Well, what can you offer that I don't have?"

Yun stood and walked to the window, pulling the shades back; he beckoned for them to come forth, and they took several steps into the larger room.  
"Well," Yun began. "I also seek, among other things, some information of my own."  
He pulled the necklace off of his head and held it in his hand.  
"I was given this jewel by my father; he, his father before him, and so on. I was told that it was an ancient relic of divinity-"  
"A magatama," Kai interrupted.  
"So you can help me," Yun spoke, grinning widely. "One of the only things I know of this relic is that it has a special name."  
"You don't claim this to be _the_ Yasakani, would you?" Kai spoke dryly.  
"So you do know something about it! My grandfather postulated that it made him royalty, and my father backed that theory; tell me, do their theories have any weight? Are we royalty?"  
"Yes and no."  
Yun bore an incredulous expression.  
"How so?"  
"The Yasakani jewel is a part of the Japanese Imperial Regalia, alongside the sword and the mirror. However, there are two problems with your grandfather's theory: first, the Empire of Japan is long since gone; second, even if it were still extant, pandas are not Japanese, and as such you have no claim to its throne. How such an object came into your possession is a mystery to me, but I can promise you this much: that is not the Yasakani, only a clever imitation."  
"It cannot be a fake, it has been in my family for-," Yun paused as the statement fully set in. "A _part_ of the regalia? Sword and mirror?"  
"They are practically unobtainable. The temples they were once housed in are long since destroyed, perhaps raided since then, exposed to the elements for centuries."  
"But you do know where they are, correct?"  
"I am knowledgeable in such a fact; I warn you, however, it is a fool's errand."  
"You must tell me!"  
"I propose then, this exchange: your employer, for the locations of the temples."

Yun laughed again.  
"But that is not a fair exchange at all! You stand to gain for free, but I stand only to gain on a chance. No, I want a tangible good in addition to the locations."  
"Such as?"  
"Well..." Yun thought momentarily. "You see, this 'string-pulling' business, it's only my side job. My day job is owning a weekly publication; I also just so happen to write columns for this publication on occasion."  
"What kind of publication?" Leora asked.  
"I prefer a degree of anonymity," Yun answered.  
"It's not like I couldn't find out in a couple of hours anyways," Kai mentioned, waving his paw to hurry Yun up.  
"As you can probably tell, I am a gourmand of sorts; as such, I used to write extensively about the food and fine cuisine of the city. However, writing several articles weekly for years on end… you tend to exhaust every unique dish of fine dining in the city, as well as the neighboring five or six towns. You, being a foreigner, probably have some delicacy that I would have never tried before."  
"You want me... to bring you something that you have never tried before?" Kai asked slowly.  
"A fair exchange, no? A recipe and some coordinates for names and descriptions."  
"Fine. I'll be two hours and-"  
"Not so fast. I need some time of my own. How about this: Tundratown, at the intersection of Third River and Highmountain. There's a road that leads out to a lone building there, my building. Meet there in six hours."  
"An abandoned warehouse?" Kai questioned with disbelief.  
"Oh, the land plot says abandoned, but I purchased it on the low years back, converted it into a manor, a vacation house of sorts; it is now quite well furnished. Heated, too, so your lady friend won't freeze."  
"I'm not his lady friend," Leora spoke quietly. Yun chuckled.  
"I'll be there. I'm keeping some of mine close to you so you don't decide to run off," Kai spoke, as he made for the door.  
"Very well."

They exited, and went back to the main room of the observatory. Kai snapped his fingers, and his squad reconvened around him.  
"Neal, Leora, come with me. The rest of you, stick to the panda. Make sure he doesn't run away. He should be going to Tundratown, so if he doesn't, call me immediately."  
Felix, Rufus, and Bjorn celebrated, but Prance gave a defeated expression.  
"Don't worry, there's a parka in the truck," Bjorn consoled Prance.

Kai went for the elevator, and motioned for the two to follow him. On the ride down, Leora questioned him.  
"Why us two?"  
"You're the lightest," Kai responded.  
"Meaning?"  
"They need the vehicle to follow Yun into Tundratown, which means the three of us have to make it to camp without it."  
"Oh no; you're not seriously going to carry me again, are you?" Leora complained. Neal laughed. "Shut up, Neal. He's carrying you, too!"  
"Yeah, but I get carried all the time."  
"I don't plan on it, but if it comes to that, I'd prefer to carry you instead of Bjorn," Kai answered.

They exited the elevator into the lobby, slowly making their way back towards the entrance.  
"Why two of us?"  
"If he reneges on our agreement, I will have a sniper and combat support to assist me."  
"Makes sense; but suppose he doesn't renege, if he's eaten everything in the city, what food can you possibly offer him?"  
"Not food, drink."  
"He's probably had every beverage that's out there."  
"I guarantee you he hasn't had _kumis_."  
"And… that is?"  
"Carbonated, fermented horse milk."  
She and Neal began to retch.  
"What the hell, who would even make that, let alone drink it! That's nasty!"  
"It was a delicacy in the East."  
"Weren't you weaned?" Neal asked, disgusted.  
"Yes."  
"Then why?"  
"The land is barren; they cannot sustain themselves on what grows there. Instead, they let their animals graze, and eat what is provided."  
"What? Are you speaking in metaphor?"  
"A story for another time."

They approached the door, and Neal stopped.  
"Something wrong?" Kai asked.  
"Can I enjoy the cool air for a little while longer?"  
"I don't see why not. We're not in any particular hurry."  
They stood in silence for a minute.  
"So, what did you mean when you told Yun that the rest of the regalia was 'practically unobtainable'?" Leora asked.  
"My master enjoyed, among other, more destructive, things, collecting royal artifacts. He had purchased the Holy Roman Imperial Regalia; it was a matter of paying the right people to move it into his private collection. The Japanese, however, are a proud, noble people. They would not part with that piece of their culture for any amount of money. So, he had us steal it for him."  
"'Us'?"  
"Me, mostly; I got the sword and the jewel, at any rate. Then, he wanted us to burn down the monasteries they were stored in for good measure."  
"So, your master had the real bead once; how do you know the panda's is fake then?"  
"Because the entire set is currently in my possession, somewhere deep in the recesses of my trophy room."  
"So, the coordinates you're giving him are totally full of shit."  
"The temple ruins are still probably there, but they will be empty, so yes."  
She cracked a smile and chuckled slightly.  
"So who are the Japanese, anyways? This is the second time you've mentioned them."  
"They and I go way back; it, too, is a story for another time."

He walked through the door, and the pair reluctantly followed him. As the first door opened, warm air blasted them; as the second door opened, torrid air scorched them. As they proceeded through the streets towards the rail line, sand pelted them; soon, however, they reached the station in proximity to the hotel. They boarded the line heading out of the city; although the conductor had questioned why Neal's pass had stated 'Arctic Fox' despite the fact that he was red, a flash of a police badge had cleared everything up.  
"I thought you were _carrying_ us," Leora quipped, as they were well on their journey through the city, and nearly past its limits.  
"I felt it would be less painful if we rode at least halfway there," Kai responded with lilt.  
"For us or for you?"  
"Both; I'm getting old, my joints aren't what they used to be."  
"You're… joking, right?"  
He scoffed, faking insult.  
"Of course. We're actually on because we'd save time by jumping out of the train."  
This time, Leora scoffed.  
"Jumping trains is old school. This is a bullet train, you'd have to be indestructible to survive landing at two hundred miles an hour."  
"There's a bend in the tracks over the bay; it's shallow enough and close enough to land that we can close the distance in a couple minute's swim."  
"You can swim?"  
He gave her an incredulous look.  
"It's just… you weigh half a ton, at least."  
"Sure, if I stopped moving I'd probably sink like a rock, but I can swim if I try. Faster than you, probably."  
"Is that a bet? Cats swim fast, I'll have you know."  
"I thought cats hated water."  
She gave a frustrated look and folded her arms.  
"Where do mammals get these misconceptions?" she muttered to herself.

The train began decelerating as it approached the curve. Kai motioned for the pair to follow him from the passenger compartment to an interlinking one; there, he approached the doors and firmly grabbed them, prying them apart.  
"Now!" he enunciated right as the train was in the sharpest crook of the curve, before shoving them through the door and into the bay below. They fell for two seconds before slamming into the cold water. Leora botched the landing, folding her legs incorrectly and pulling a muscle, and as such required several seconds to properly orient herself; as she cleared her eyes on the surface, she saw Neal treading water several feet from her; Kai was nowhere to be seen.  
"Sir!" she yelled as loud as she could muster, searching the horizon; the roar of the train finally passed, and she cried out again, "Sir!"  
"Up here!" she heard from above. She looked up, and saw a familiar form some twenty meters up on the track.  
"You dick! You kicked us out and you're still up there?!" she screamed at him.  
"How'd he get on the track, though? We were in the second car," Neal spoke, wiping water from his eyes.  
"I climbed on top of the train and ran to the back; the how isn't important, but it occurred to me that this uniform is silk, and I would _hate_ to ruin it before we reconvened with the panda."  
"Fuck you, I got hurt!" she spat, before turning to swim slowly towards land.  
"Other way, dear."  
She glared, but changed directions.

Several minutes later, they came ashore to see that Kai was already waiting for them. Although Neal's arctic pelage kept him mostly dry, Leora came out thoroughly soaked; she made sure to shake off as much water as she could into his direction before sitting on a nearby tree stump.  
"We should hurry," Kai mentioned, cracking his neck.  
"Yeah, you just threw me out of a train and I landed funny, give me a minute," Leora replied, massaging her left leg.  
"It's just a little over seven miles, hardly too much of a walk."  
"Is it too late for you to carry me?"  
He rolled his eyes, but picked her up and placed her into a fireman's carry. Neal stifled a laugh, but otherwise remained quiet.  
"Surely _you_ can walk, Neal?"  
"Actually, I don't-"  
"Let's get going then."  
He set off at a moderate pace, with Neal quickly catching up.

"How did you get down from the track? You're not wet, so you clearly didn't swim," Neal asked, moments later.  
"It crosses over land down yonder." He pointed down the track where, sure enough, it eventually returned over land.  
"So… you ran a mile, jumped sixty feet, and ran a mile back?" he asked, voice full of disbelief.  
"Is that wrong? I'm sure either of you could make that speed if you wanted to, easy."  
"A sprint, yeah, but no mammal, pred or prey, can sprint for five minutes straight."  
"How interesting; I didn't really try, to be honest."  
"That's besides the point, sixty feet is a long fall for a wolf."  
"Neal, I thought we already established he isn't a wolf," Leora interjected.  
"I mean, it's a long fall for you, too; for any larger mammal, in fact. I could probably land fine, but you'd both expect a broken bone from that; hell, at least a sprained ankle."  
"I do agree, it is suspicious: how, exactly, did you do that, sir?" Leora asked.  
"For the benefit of simplicity, I will say that this, too, is a story for another time," Kai plainly spoke.  
"And when, _exactly_ , is 'another time'?"  
"Not now."  
Leora and Neal groaned.

"Well, since you weren't trying, I'm interested to know: how fast can you run?" Neal inquired.  
Kai stopped to think.  
"I haven't tried in a very long time, but I reckon I could run from here to camp in… roughly four minutes."  
"That would make your sustained run faster than a cheetah's sprint, you can't be serious!" Leora spouted. "If that's the case, how fast can you sprint?"  
"I never tried a breakneck sprint, but my equals were rumored to outpace a peregrine falcon for fifteen seconds. Granted, it nearly killed them to do so."  
"How far would that..?" Leora muttered, thinking for a moment.  
"That's a little over a mile." Neal supplemented, figuring the math before she could.  
"Now I know you're full of shit," Leora spoke, folding her arms as best she could in her prone state.  
"Believe what you will," Kai responded, maintaining his leisurely pace.  
"How about some proof?" Leora goaded, giving a sly grin.  
"And what, leave the little one behind?"  
"If you can run as fast as you say you can, I'm sure you can carry him, too."  
"It won't be aerodynamically stable."  
"Scared?"  
He chuckled.  
"Scared stiff."

They walked for five minutes more.  
"Hey, Neal," Leora started. "I'll give you a thousand dollars if you make it there appreciably before he does."  
"No shit?!" Neal exclaimed, eyes widening.  
"Cross my heart."  
Neal stretched his legs slightly.  
"Eat my dust, Kai." Neal took off, easily outpacing them. Soon, he became a small auburn blur against the horizon.  
"What the hell, are you actually gonna let him beat you?" Leora asked, mildly infuriated.  
"Hey, it's your money."  
"I-" She gave a small scream. "Shit. I only wanted to see if you were lying. Are you really just gonna walk?"  
"I don't see why not. We still have five hours until we have to be in Tundratown, and we're but six miles from camp; at this pace, we'll be there in a little under an hour."  
"He'll be waiting for us."  
"No, he won't."  
"Why not?"  
"He took off at a sprint. I believe he said it himself: 'no mammal, pred or prey, can sprint for five minutes straight.' All I have to do is keep this pace and we'll eventually catch up."  
"What do I have to offer for you to make him eat _your_ dust?"  
"Have you heard the allegory of the tortoise and the hare?"  
She sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head.

"Well…" Kai began, "I suppose that allegory is outdated. Hold fast."  
She didn't have time to firmly grab hold of him before he gained immense speed; she would have fallen off, had he not been holding her over his shoulders. As the wind blew over her, her duster billowed, and she was nearly blinded. She looked ahead: a small red figure was walking slowly, and was getting larger in scope; they were gaining on Neal; quickly, too. Perhaps she wouldn't have to part with her money, after all. As they closed in on him, Kai scooped him up under his arm, ignoring the fox's protests, and held him firmly. Seeing as they had caught up, Leora assumed that he would stop, but he only seemed to increase his velocity, traveling with bearing towards their unseen destination.

Soon, the camp came into view: the crates, the ashes of the campfire, Leora's motorcycle, and the tree by the river. As they came to the center of the camp, he stopped suddenly, and again, she nearly flew off of his shoulders.  
"Hmm," Kai muttered. "It appears I've gotten slow."  
"Slow?!" Leora and Neal exclaimed in near unison.  
"Four minutes and fifty-eight seconds. I blame you two for weighing me down." He dropped them on the ground unceremoniously.  
They stared in awe.  
"How did you run that fast?!" Neal asked, standing up and brushing himself off.  
"It doesn't matter. You have some time, until I return anyways, to find suitable equipment. Neal, you are to take the dart rifle. Leora, the silenced 7.62mm carbine. I assume you will also need a parka, and as such, I will bring one."  
"Carbine? You want me to go lethal?" Leora queried with slight displeasure in her voice.  
"Yes. I want to make one thing very clear: if I tell you to shoot a target, regardless of who that target is, you will shoot. Understood?"  
"Even if that target is Felix?" Leora posed.  
"You will be shooting mostly at your discretion, Leora; the clarification was mostly for Neal. But, should Felix impede you, take him out." He looked to the sun. "This is where I leave you, for the time being. I will return with a parka for Leora, and we will set out then."  
He set off.  
"How did he run that fast?" Neal muttered to Leora, once he was certain the wolf was out of earshot.  
"Beats me. Wanna ask him later, _hope he cares enough then_?" she replied, sarcastically.  
Neal rolled his eyes, and went to search for the dart gun.

* * *

 **Two Hours, Thirty Minutes Later**

"I imagine you both must feel like James Bond now." Kai had returned from his mountainous excursion with several items, as well as a duffel bag. The first, a thin wet-suit-like article of clothing, he gave to Leora.  
"Who?" she asked, taking it and feeling it in her paws. "And what's this?"  
"I couldn't find a parka, so I got a sneaking suit, which was the next best thing. Stockings, too."  
"Stockings?" she queried, with an amused tone.  
"I can't imagine you would find it comfortable to walk in snow and ice at fifty below; only if you want."  
She examined the fabric of the suit: it had several layers; the interior and exterior had a silver foil of some kind; the middle layer was a very light, black colored foam.  
"This is supposed to replace a parka?" she spoke, laughing; she began to slip into it.  
"Don't put it on yet."  
"Why not?"  
"Heatstroke."  
"You're..." She stalled; although she wanted to say 'joking', she also initially thought he was joking when he mentioned his top speed, and had been wrong then. She instead looped only her arm through the sleeve. "How well does it insulate?"  
He removed a pen-shaped, albeit slightly thicker item from a loop of canvas wrapped around his shoulder. When he depressed a button, a plume of white flame shot out; it was a blowtorch. He held her arm out and moved the torch to the surface of the suit. She initially tried to pull away, but upon seeing that she wasn't getting hot, let alone burned, she stopped resisting his grip.  
"You can probably tell, but the sneaking suit's fireproof to eight thousand degrees; waterproof, too, in case you need it. Masks your heat signature as well, so be careful about standing in front of anything warmer than background heat." He extinguished the torch, and replaced it on the belt, before giving it to her as well. "Belt's yours, too: blowtorch, knife, and some empty pockets."  
"Do I get a sneaking suit, too?" Neal asked excitedly, full of expectation.  
"I don't have one in your size. You'd overheat, anyways."  
"Oh," he replied, disappointed.  
"I, instead, brought you IR shades..." He reached into the duffel bag and from it removed a small pair of goggles, as well as a large square tin can, "And paint remover. I imagine you want to be white so you won't stand out against the snow."  
"Finally. Red's cool, but it's not really my style."

He took the can, and wandered off to scrub off the dye; while he was gone, Leora packed her equipment into the saddlebags on her motorcycle. When she finished, she sat on a crate, and stared into the mountains. Eventually, Neal returned, coat now pearly white.  
"Alright, one last thing." From the bag Kai pulled out two small boxes, each had two wires trailing from them. "Radios."  
He gave them out.  
"So, you're telling me you have a fireproof suit and micro IR goggles, but you can't get a radio smaller than this?"  
"Global range. One wire's the earpiece, the other a throat mic; picks up vibration, so you don't have to talk loud; a whisper will suffice."  
"Global? Are you sure just being near this thing won't give me cancer?" Neal asked, holding the box at arm's length.  
"Satellites," Kai simply replied, pointing to the sky.

"Anyways, what's the plan? Am I going in with you?" Leora interjected, cutting off Neal's attempt at a reply.  
"No; I'm going in alone, Neal will set up camp on an adjacent rooftop, and you will try to find a side entrance."  
"Why, though?"  
"In the event he deceived me, you working espionage could help find out what we need to know faster than I can interrogate out of him."  
"Faster than you can interrogate out of him?" she repeated, in disbelief.  
"Mr. Wilkins took a little over two hours to break."  
She gave a look of disgust.  
"In either case, we still have some time before we need to set out. I suppose this time is yours, prepare yourselves as you see fit. I will reconvene with you in Tundratown, at the intersection of Third River and Highmountain. Be there in two hours: I've been late enough as it is, and this time, I would like to have half an hour to spare."  
They nodded in agreement, and he began walking towards the city, paw on sword.  
"What, aren't you gonna run?" Leora yelled after him.  
"Why bother? I have two hours to go twenty-five miles. I can jog that if I want. No, it's easier to think if I'm walking."  
"What do you think about?"  
"A hundred things at once; it's hard to tune it all out. The plan, the alternative plans, tomorrow's plan, what to do if Bogo betrays me, how to keep the military out of the city, and at least eighty other things. Basic stuff."  
"Basic?" Neal whispered to Leora. She shrugged as she watched him walk off, the light from the low sun casting a long shadow against the tall grass. She would have appreciated the scenery had she not been so enveloped in thinking about the plan, let alone ninety-nine others.

* * *

 **Tundratown  
Third River and Highmountain  
8:00 PM**

Leora and Neal pulled up to the crossroads, if they could even be called that; Highmountain Road ended as it ran into Third River Street, which ran (as the name would suggest) along one of the lesser rivers. Staggered slightly from Highmountain was a bridge, and on the other side, a winding road which led to the lone building atop the small hillock. It was not a busy intersection by any means, least of all at this hour.

Leora parked and they dismounted the bike; they then retrieved their equipment from its side containers. Leora donned her sneaking suit and belt, and they both put on their radios. After a quick mic check, they pulled their weapons and assembled them. Now ready, they called Kai on their communicators. Like clockwork, he descended from a nearby rooftop, landing in the soft snow nearby with a crunch.  
"Find anything out?" Leora asked, pulling the hood of the suit over her head. The bottom of the cowl, not designed for snouts, would not go easily and so she gave up in trying to completely shield her face.  
"The manor is situated near an exhaust vent. Every five minutes, a blast of snow comes out for half; you can use that to cover your entrance. There are several tall pines nearby that would make good sniping perches, but if you want level ground, there's an apartment complex three hundred meters away, across the river. Both should provide good views through the windows, so your preference lies with distance versus comfort."  
They both nodded. Kai held aloft a clear bottle with a milky white liquid inside.  
"I suppose I should get going. There's nothing like being half an hour early." He made his way up the winding path, leaving questionable footprints. As he got closer to the manor, however, he began shuffling his feet so as to mask the tell-tale pattern of combat boots.

Leora lagged behind slightly, as did Neal; he opted to snipe from the trees, since the snow-covered branches would provide good cover, and the lower elevation would give a better angle; in addition, he could reposition as he saw fit without having to cross the river. Leora crept around the side of the hill, and as soon as the vent began billowing snow, she sprinted to look for an entrance. Neal found a pine of suitable height, swung the rifle on his back, and began to climb, digging his claws deep into the bark. As he reached the tree's peak, he sat on a sturdy branch, balanced the rifle on another, put on the IR goggles, and took aim. He could see Kai approach the front door of the manor.  
"In position," Neal affirmed.  
"Found a door, I'm in," Leora spoke. "It's empty here, awaiting further orders."  
"See if you can find some log books, some ledgers perhaps. An operation like his doesn't fund itself," Kai responded.  
"Roger."

Kai rapped firmly on the door. It was momentarily answered by a dog in a dapper suit.  
"Ah, I presume you to be the ambassador, Master Yun was expecting you, but admittedly you arrived earlier than he anticipated. Please, come in." The dog opened the door, and allowed him to step in. The butler attempted to take his tailcoat, but Kai refused.  
"If I may ask," Kai began, now in the center of the lobby, "Why does a panda have a manor in the tundra?"  
"Master Yun prefers to spend the middle half of the year at this estate, before returning to his winter home across the sea."  
"Why? Surely there are more… comfortable locales?"  
"I believe he finds the cold a better resemblance to the rocky steppes where he was born than any other district of the city."  
"Would you happen to know anything of his employment?"  
"He manages the _Weekly Review_ in Zootopia, and some banking firms overseas; he has spared me the details of both ventures, I'm afraid. If you would excuse me, I need to attend to other matters. Someone will be here for you shortly."  
Kai nodded and motioned his acceptance, and the dog left.

"Neal, what can you see?" he asked quietly.  
"I can see you in the lobby… in the right wing, I can see a dinner table with a panda and several wolves?" Neal responded with uncertainty. "Left wing has guards patrolling, and some more are crawling on the outside."  
"Very well. Leora?"  
"Yes, sir?"  
"Progress report."  
"I've passed a couple of patrols, he's got top notch security here. I've seen a wine cellar, and a library; nothing of interest yet."  
"Very well. Remember, do not get captured. They carry tranquilizers, and your suit isn't dart-proof. If they tag you, kill them and hide; tell us where you are so we can retrieve you."  
"This doesn't feel right. What if he really isn't deceiving us?"  
"You are forgetting that he is a criminal."  
"Two wrongs don't make a right."  
"Right now we are acting above the law. Steel your nerves."  
"We're still cops though, right?" Neal interjected.  
"You are free to be anything you wish in between missions, or once we finish."

In that moment, a wolf came into the foyer.  
"Ambassador? Yun will see you now. Follow me."  
Kai followed him up a set of stairs and through a hallway, until they came into a dining room, complete with a large table. At the table were sat numerous wolves; among them, at one end of the table, Kai could recognize Rufus. At the head of the table sat Yun.

"Greetings, ambassador," Yun spoke, opening his arms wide and standing tall. "Would you care to join us?"  
"I'm not here to stay. I brought what you asked." He held the bottle aloft, and walked to set it on the table, before withdrawing a small envelope from within his tailcoat. "Coordinates, as well."  
"A beverage? How interesting. Pour some for the wolf at the end of the table."  
"Rufus wouldn't enjoy it."  
"But I need to be assured you aren't trying to poison me."  
Kai rolled his eyes, but in the end, grabbed the bottle and strolled to Rufus. He uncorked it, and poured it into the empty glass besides the full glass of wine.  
"Drink, wolf," Yun commanded.  
Rufus took the glass in paw and swirled it around. He smelled it, before wrinkling his nose and turning away.  
"Drink," Yun reiterated.  
He took a small sip, and nearly immediately spit it to the side, before taking his napkin and covering his snout.  
"You poisoned it, didn't you?" Yun asked, eyes narrowed, voice full of suspicion.  
"The flavor is… one to get accustomed to."  
"And what, pray tell, is this beverage?"  
"We call it Kumis."  
"It looks like coconut water. Alcoholic coconut water, perhaps? I've already had it, don't bother."  
"You've never had this, I guarantee it." Kai walked to the other end of the table and handed the bottle, as well as the envelope, to Yun, before returning to Rufus' side. Yun sniffed from the bottle.  
"Coconut rum?"  
"Carbonated, fermented mare's milk."  
Everyone, save for Rufus (who began to spit into his plate), began to laugh.  
"Surely, you jest? How would you even obtain such a substance? No, you must be lying to me." Yun poured himself a glass and held it to his lips, before taking a deep gulp; his attempt at machismo ended with him vomiting on the floor. "You… you were serious?!"  
"I don't lie. The coordinates that you asked for are in the envelope as well."  
"Hmm..." Yun examined the envelope front and back.

"Rufus," Kai began, "Where are the others?"  
Rufus stared at him in the eyes, one brow raised, but kept his mouth shut.  
"He can't keep you silent, not while I'm here."  
Rufus' eyes darted from Kai, to Yun, then back to Kai. He quickly gestured to his mouth and shook his head.

"Yun," Kai spoke loudly, staring at the panda at the head of the table. "I noticed something rather peculiar. Everyone is done with their food, and most are done with their dessert, except for one. My wolf. Why are you silencing him, and where is my team?"  
"You see, about that. Remember, when you said you don't lie?" Yun took the envelope and tore it in half, and in half again, shredding it before laying it on his plate and burning it with a candle on the table. "That was a lie right there."  
"Elaborate."  
"When you left my room, I sent a few to spy on you before you left the hotel. Wouldn't you guess it, but one of them happened to overhear that you are a collector of royal artifacts. It just so happens that some of them are _my_ royal artifacts. You lied to me in the Oasis Hotel, when you told me that I could find the sword and mirror in some temples across the world."  
"No, I said they would be nearly impossible to find, seeing as the temples they were housed in were destroyed long ago. _You_ then asked if I knew where they _were_ , to which I offered an exchange. I gave you the locations, which you just burned. Now, I expect you to tell me about your employers. And, my team."  
"The deal is off. I propose, instead, a new deal: you bring me the sword and mirror, and _authentic_ jewel; I give you your team, and will consider telling you for whom I work. Hell, I might even offer you a job if you do it well enough."  
"And why, pray tell, would I ever do that?"  
"Want to hear a story?"  
"No."  
Yun laughed.  
"Such gall. When your mammals tailed me, I thought it was strange that only one of them was wearing a parka. Sven here (he pointed to an arctic wolf at the center of the table) notified me that the three that weren't were arctic mammals, cleverly disguised with dye. I thought it was strange, but payed it no heed, until I discovered your duplicity. Hardly surprising, I must admit; my father told me never to trust a carnivore unless there's money involved. I digress, however. Fulfill the requirements I have put forth, and I shall return the three mammals that I have in my captivity."  
"Which three?"  
"The wolf, the bear, and the cat."  
"Neither of them would wear a parka."  
Yun cackled madly.  
"Oh, you mean the antelope. I thought it would be amusing to see how durable he was. I daresay, he lasted quite long."  
"What did you do?" Kai queried with urgency.  
"Did you know that although arctic mammals have water-repelling fur, most others do not?"  
"Answer me, now."  
"I stripped him of his parka, sheared his antlers as keepsakes, had cinderblocks shackled to his ankles, and then threw him into the cold, briny river. Just slack enough where he could surface, but not enough where he could reach the shore. It was almost comical, watching him try to latch onto the floating chunks of ice, only to have them drift out of his reach. He lasted an hour before he passed out, it was quite impressive. I didn't bother watching after that, seeing an antelope freeze to death atop a chunk of ice in a river; it gets dull, even for me."  
"YOU BAffARD!" Rufus yelled with a very pronounced lisp, shattering his plate with his fist and standing up. "YOU 'OLD US YOU WERE GONNA I'ERROGATE HIM!"  
"Well, your ambassador might not lie, but I can," Yun spoke, putting on a cheery grin.  
"Rufus, why are you speaking that way?" Kai questioned, calmly.  
"Oh, that?" Yun laughed again. "I cut his tongue! Gave one snide comment, which was one too many."  
"You are making a horrible mistake, Yun."  
"And what will you do? I have the other two at gunpoint. One wrong move and I'll just have them killed."  
Kai paused for a moment to think.  
"Allow me to consider your offer," he spoke at last, taking a seat next to Rufus.  
"Take your time!" Yun responded jovially. "It's not like you're going anywhere."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry the chapter's delayed slightly, I had some exams and papers due this past week; it'll probably happen again in two weeks, and again two weeks after that.**

 **It feels weird to leave the chapter on a cliffhanger, but I figured I'd try it for three reasons: first, I heard that everyone else does it; second, the chapter was starting to get fairly long, and this was about the half-way point; third, this gives me time to finalize the plot points in the second half, while still getting this part out more-or-less on-time.**

 **Also Japan gets a mention again. Muahaha. I'm sure it will be an important part of backstory later.**

 **Some of the research I did for this chapter turned out some really interesting stuff: the arctic fox has the best insulating fur of any mammal; they don't even start to shiver until it's -70 deg C, and they can survive at -120 deg C. At that point, it would damage your lungs to try to breathe in air, we need heated rebreathers for that sort of temperature.** **They have special capillaries in the pads of their paws so that they don't freeze when standing on frozen substrate.** **Their fur is also waterproof, so I imagine Neal trying to take a shower would be a pain in the ass since he can't even get wet; imagine if you covered yourself in petroleum jelly, and then... Actually, don't imagine that. (Actually they can get wet, but it takes an emulsifying agent or very low density fluid, or a lot of effort; it's like trying to get water to go into a 'water-proof' coat [not rubber, one of those woven fiber ones]. As long as you work it into the fabric, it will eventually get wet).**


	18. Chapter XV: Nothing Lasts Forever

Neal was drumming his fingers on the barrel of his rifle, ears twitching while he stared through the scope. Something wasn't right; Kai was sitting still for far too long, nearly ten minutes with nothing.  
"Everything alright?" he asked over the radio.  
"I haven't found anything yet," Leora replied.  
"No, Kai's just sitting there, doing nothing."  
"Sir, respond. Everything okay?"  
Initial silence, but suddenly, Kai began humming a simple tune, only two tones, through the mic.  
 _Low-low-low-high-high-high, low-low-low-high-high-high-high_.  
"Is that code or are you just humming? One hum yes, two for no."  
 _Hmm._  
"Damn, he can't talk," Neal responded, scanning the room through his scope.  
"Yeah, I figured," Leora spoke, "But how do we decipher?"  
 _Low-low-low-low-high-high-high, low-high, low-low-low-high-high-_ _high-high-high_.  
"Do a word, how about 'wolf'?"  
 _Low-low-low-low-low-high-high, low-low-low-high-high-high-high, low-low-low-high, low-low-high_.  
"Five-two, three-four, three-one, two-one..." she muttered, as she tried to visualize the pattern. "Hey Neal, you have something to draw on, right?"  
"Yeah, there's snow here."  
"Great, draw a square, five by five; 'a' through 'e' on the first row, double up 'k' with 'c'. 'F' through 'j' on the second, 'l' through 'p' on the third, and so on."  
"How did you..?" Neal wondered, following her instructions.  
"Tap code, taught it to us in the military."

Neal observed as Kai stood up and began to pace around the room, inspecting various ornaments on the wall.  
"Alright, what's going on? Why can't you talk? One word at a time; Neal, translate from the table you drew: low hums count down on rows, high count across columns, a lone

'x' means end of sentence; I have to focus."  
A series of hums came over the mic, and Neal translated, slowly but surely.  
"Held… hostage… Rufus… with… me… Bjorn… and… Felix… elsewhere… X… Leora… go… to… river… X." The humming stopped.  
"To the river? What the hell?! What about you, what about the others?"  
The humming resumed, faster than before, and Neal scrambled to provide an accurate translation.  
"I will… retrieve… Bjorn… and… Felix… with… Rufus… X… Neal… prepare… to… provide… cover… if… things… go… bad… on… my… mark… X."  
"What about Prance? Where's he?"  
"Go… to… river… EOTNRX?" Neal spoke the last word with uncertainty as the humming cut off abruptly. "Did I catch that right?"  
"End of transmission, no reply expected," she elaborated. "Damnit, I have a bad feeling about this."  
She turned to head the way she came, as Neal nervously fidgeted with the sights on his rifle.

* * *

"So, will you continue humming to us the song of your people, or have you finally reached a decision?" Yun asked, impatiently.  
"How am I to be certain that my team is even alive? For all I know, you could have killed all of them, save for the wolf."  
"You have my word."  
"I had your word that you would tell me your employer, should I provide you the-"  
"Fine, fine. Take him down to the cells."  
He motioned, and five wolves stood and moved to the door.

Kai stood as well and placed his hand on Rufus' shoulder.  
"Come, Rufus."  
"No," Yun objected. "He stays."  
"What assurance do I have that you won't kill him while I'm gone? Hell, bring ten guards, but he comes with me."  
Yun thought for a moment.  
"Leave the sword here; and, for the record, I'm sending _twelve_."  
Nearly all of the wolves seated at the table stood and escorted the pair to the door. Kai removed the sword from his belt and gave it to one of the guards, who carried it to the other end of the room, laying it near Yun's chair.  
"Hope you come back soon!" Yun taunted, before laughing. Before Kai left, he had followed Rufus' gaze; the wolf had been staring at something behind the panda for nearly the entire time that he had been there. On the mantle, above the fireplace, sat a pair of horns, already polished and mounted on a plaque.

They walked down the stairs, three guards in front of him, six behind, then Rufus, and another three behind him.  
"So, why do you work for Yun?" Kai asked, curiously. They tossed him bitter glances, but otherwise remained silent. "Surely, you can't have missed his attitude towards carnivores."  
"Quiet," the white one growled.  
"What was your name? Sven?" The wolf offered no response, and only picked up the pace at which he walked. "What an interesting name. It means 'young warrior', if I am not mistaken."  
A brown wolf in the back of the pack laughed. The white one glared back at him.  
"You know, I used to know a Sven, back when I served in the military."  
"You don't know when to shut up, do you?"  
"So you can talk! Excellent, I take it you're the one in charge?"  
"Of course."  
Someone in the back scoffed.  
"You say yes, they imply the opposite."  
"They're just mad because someone started a howl during a security incident, and another arctic and I were the only ones that actually did shit when it mattered."  
"Where is the other?"  
"Dead. So, I'm in charge."  
"Shame your boyfriend didn't make it, eh Sven?" goaded a brown wolf in the middle of the pack.  
"At least I'm not a mongrel born to a promiscuous bitch."  
Half the crowd filled with oh's and the other half gasped. Seeing his opportunity, Kai pressed further.  
"Are you just going to take that?" he taunted.  
Everyone stopped and stared at him.  
"What are you trying to start?" Sven asked, wary. Everyone stopped and stared at Kai.  
"He's not insulted?"  
"We're just joking around."  
Kai shrugged.  
"Western wolves," he mused. "Never mind, then. Just take me to my comrades."

They slowly resumed their shuffling through the narrow hallway until they reached another staircase, which they descended. The air grew colder as the heating ducts became less numerous, and eventually stopped altogether. Kai surmised that they were at least three stories below ground level; this floor was designed exclusively for captivity. They entered the main corridor, lined on either side with cells; the cages were designed with very thick, nearly shatter-proof glass panes for the face, and a sliding metal door that locked into the ground and ceiling; they were, for all intents and purposes, inescapable.

They passed cells filled with wolves, others with rodents and other miscellaneous mammals, each with a hopeless expression. Eventually, the pack crowded around a pair of cells nearly to the end of the corridor; in one was Bjorn, in the other, Felix. Both still had their vests and dusters, although any other equipment they carried was now confiscated. Neither were particularly alert; rather, they were both sitting and staring at the floor, covered in cuts and bruises.  
"See? Alive and well," Sven spoke. "Let's get going."  
"You call this 'well'?" Kai asked, a hint of outrage in his voice.  
"They're not dead, so yeah."  
Kai rapped on the glass of Felix's enclosure; the cat looked up, eyes shooting open upon seeing his superior.  
"What are you doing here?" Felix spoke with surprise, his voice heavily muffled by the pane of glass that separated them.  
"I should ask you the same. You surrendered to these clowns?" Kai retorted.  
"It was twenty-five on four, not favorable odds by any means."  
"Sven, what kind of glass is this?"  
"Bullet-proof, six inches. You're not getting in or out of there without the code."  
"And what, pray tell, is the code?"  
Sven laughed.  
"Real joker, aren't you?"  
"Rufus, stand three paces that way," Kai spoke, pointing beyond the edge of the group. After Rufus moved, he put a claw on the surface of the glass.  
"That won't work, glass is harder than-" He was interrupted by an awful screeching as Kai carved a large circular groove into the glass surface. "Wh-"  
Kai lowered his stance and reeled back before striking the center of the circle with his palm, launching the glass disk into the back wall of the cell, nearly hitting Felix. Immediately the twelve wolves drew their tranquilizers.  
"I don't know how the hell you did that, but you're leaving. Now."  
"The way I see it, you have two options. The first is that you all leave and go back up to Yun, and tell him that I'm taking my team back. The second is that I kill the eleven of them and maim you, and then you can tell Yun that I'm taking them."  
"Well, the way _I_ see it, _you_ have two options. We take you back and put the leopard and wolf in new cells, or we dart you, kill the leopard and your wolf, and drag you back."  
Felix peeked his snout through the hole in the glass.  
"I really would listen to the ambassador if I were you."  
"Twelve on one; you and the wolf are in no condition to fight, and he's unarmed."  
"If it's any consolation, I do regret this," Kai spoke. He lunged forward.  
"Fire!" Sven commanded.

Five seconds later, eleven wolves were dead; most of them were so before they hit the ground; Sven was the only one spared, although he had sustained a slash to his abdomen, and his left leg was slashed to ribbons. The only fruit of their labors was that they had managed to sink darts into Kai's neck and into Rufus' ribs. Sven stumbled onto the blood-soaked floor, his white pelt stained by his and others' blood; Kai caught Rufus as he, too, stumbled, and handed him to Felix as the latter climbed out of the hole in his cell wall.  
"How?" Sven asked, struggling to get up by hoisting himself up against the bodies of the fallen; eventually, he settled for sitting upright against the wall. Kai plucked the dart from his flesh and dropped it to the floor.  
"Force of will. I want you to go back to Yun, crawl if you have to, and tell him that he has made a grave error in betraying my trust."  
Sven laughed.  
"You may as well kill me now. Yun doesn't take kindly to failure." He groaned, and fell on his haunches, before sitting on the floor.  
"What will he do with you?" Felix asked, pulling Rufus into a stable hold over his shoulders and looting a tranquilizer off of the floor. Another screech as Kai scored the glass of Bjorn's cell and broke it open.  
"Probably just kill me on the spot, in a manner worse than you killed them." He motioned to the dead pack. "Funny, I thought I would be sadder about their deaths. Perhaps we were just friends by proximity." He groaned, clutching at the gash on his belly. "Maybe the panda'll throw me into the fireplace and restrain me there until I die. If I'm really unlucky, he'll have me flayed and boiled alive; before you just shake the notion as a joke, he's had that done before: he collects pelts, antlers, anything he can get his paws on, the sick fuck."  
"Tell me then," Kai spoke firmly. "Why do you work for him?"  
"I don't really want..." He paused when he saw the glare he was being given. "I suppose it doesn't matter, I'm a dead wolf, anyways. My… er… partner, the other arctic I mentioned, the one who died? Met him when we both worked private security years back. Turns out he was a friend of Yun's son, Lee, or whatever his name is. Couple months after we met, Yun offered him a job, and by extension, me. When he died, I just wasn't cut loose; he has no reason to keep me alive, and I had no reason to quit; the pay was good, see?"  
"Yun has a son?"  
"Yeah, about to turn seven. Pretty small for his age, though."

Kai put his paw on his chin for a moment to think. Satisfied with his decision, he dipped his hand in the large pool of blood on the floor and wrote a message on the wall:  
 _'You took mine hostage, I'm returning the favor.'_  
"W-What?" Sven stuttered.  
"If he has no reason to keep you alive, he won't bother getting you back from me, either. I, however, don't really have a reason to keep a stray. So, you're free to leave. He'll figure out soon enough what transpired here, in either case."  
"Why? What do you want from me?"  
"I don't care. In the long run, the fewer hired guns he has, the more I benefit."  
"I… Thank you. Think you could lend me a paw? I'm not sure how well I can walk on this leg."  
"I will need my hands free, but if Bjorn wishes to help..." Kai glanced at Bjorn, who gave a small yet reassuring nod. "Sounds like you're in luck."  
Sven sighed with relief as Bjorn picked him up and cradled him in his arms.

Their work now complete, they set off whence they came. As they passed other cages, the prisoners inside begged for release.  
"The code is '09132012', if you want to free them."  
"We can escape silently, but I cannot be assured that they will. Perhaps some other time."  
"There won't be another time!" a rodent wailed from inside an enclosure, overhearing their conversation; Kai ignored him.  
"I presume you also know the fastest way out?"  
"Two floors up, one of the wine cellars has an exit to the surface around the back, but it's right beneath a guard post."  
"How many?"  
"Two."  
"Neal, can you hear me?" Kai voiced over his radio.  
"Loud and clear, you out yet?" was the response.  
"Do you see two guards near the back of the manor?"  
"Hold on… I see one overlooking the back, the other's sort of off to the side smoking."  
"Anyone else?"  
"No one that can see them."  
"Take them out. We're heading through there."  
"Might want to hurry," Leora interjected, "If I'm timing it right, the snow vent is going to go off in about thirty seconds; it'll knock your darts astray."  
"And it will provide cover. Let's hurry," Kai added.

They picked up their pace, taking two steps at a time until they reached the basement level; they ran to the correct room, and saw starlight peeking through the crack between the cellar door.  
"What's the status on those guards, Neal?"  
"Down."  
Kai threw open the doors, just in time for an icy blast of snow and wind to nearly throw them closed; he held them open and ushered everyone out. They made their hasty escape through the whiteout down the hill, making it past the treeline just in time for the vent to cease its exhaust and close.

"Where to, now?" Bjorn asked.  
"You and Felix, take them to the Tundratown Hospital and wait for me. If they ask, say it was a 'police operation' and that you are under orders not to disclose the details."  
"And you?"  
"I still have business here to finish."  
They made haste through the trees and eventually across the bridge, out of sight.

"Neal," Kai hailed on his transceiver, "You still have your IR goggles on, right?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Scan the river."  
"What for?"  
"Hot spots."  
"Sec…" Neal paused as he looked across the surrounding riverbed. "There's not much, except for a room temperature something or other on top of an ice block; if I had to guess, I'd say it was a body."  
"Bingo. Where at?"  
"About forty meters downstream from where you are."  
"Leora, hear that? Meet with me there."  
"Roger," she answered.

Moments later, the two had reconvened at the location spotted by Neal. About halfway through the fairly wide river, bobbing back and forth in its gentle current, was a figure on top of a small ice sheet; he was long unconscious, held to his life raft merely by being frozen on to it.  
"Why are we here?" Leora asked.  
"We're saving him."  
"How? He's probably dead, and even if, by some miracle, he wasn't, he'd have to be shackled to the riverbed to not be floating away."  
"Your torch is self-oxidizing and burns at seven and a half thousand degrees; you can cut through the chains with ease."  
"Woah, hold on. Me? That's an icy river, I'm a Savannah mammal."  
"You're wearing a thermal sneaking suit."  
She rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
"I can't believe I'm doing this."

She held her blowtorch in her paw and jumped into the river; she cried out when the cold water hit her unprotected face, but swam swiftly to the floating ice, and dove. Half a minute later, she surfaced to take several deep breaths, before diving again. Shortly thereafter, the ice began to drift downriver; Leora surfaced again and grabbed hold of it, and began kicking her way back to shore. Roughly twenty meters downstream, Kai helped her out, whereupon she shivered briefly, and removed the body from the ice, holding it tightly in his arms. Leora put a paw to the body's neck: it was very cold, and somewhat rigid. No pulse, no breathing.

"I hope whomever this is was worth me nearly drowning. I didn't expect both her ankles to be shackled," Leora complained.  
"Her?" Kai spoke curiously, walking with a swift pace away from the manor.  
"No horns, none that I could see at least." She wiped the water from her eyes, and let them readjust to the air, before taking another look. "Wait, that looks like..."  
"I'm taking him to the hospital. Neal," He radioed, "Join Leora, she'll take you home. You two should get some rest."  
"Wait, let me get another look!" Leora protested, hurrying to catch up and hold the antelope's head still. Minus the horns, and with lots of bruising on the face, it was Prance. She stopped walking.  
"Hurry up, before a patrol finds out you're here," Kai called over his shoulder.  
"Leora stopped moving, something wrong? Who's the body?" Neal called over the radio.  
"...Prance," Leora answered, seeing that Kai would not.  
"No…" Neal breathed, hardly audible.  
They watched as Kai walked away, body in-arms. Soon, the vent opened and the air turned white with snow; when it cleared, Kai and Prance were gone.

* * *

 **Zootopia General Hospital – Tundratown Campus  
3:02 AM**

Kai had gone from room to room to check on the status of his team. Felix and Bjorn got off relatively easily, suffering from only minor cuts and bruises; Rufus was delighted to report that Yun had not cut his tongue out completely; instead, he cut poorly along the length of it, so although a small piece was missing, they were able to suture it up to a more or less whole state. Kai even took time to visit Sven, who had just received surgery and was expected to make a reasonable recovery, and would be able to walk without crutches in three weeks.

When he entered Prance's room, he saw the antelope hooked up to a large collection of machines. A caribou doctor inside had just hung up the phone after wrapping up an extensive apology.  
"Apologizing, doctor? To whom?"  
"Who- Oh, Ambassador. I was just on the phone with the desk officer at precinct one."  
"For what reason?"  
"I'm legally required to report the status of all officers that come through here to the station."  
"And what is the status?"  
The doctor closed his eyes and shook his head. Kai looked to the monitors: there was a steady pulse of sixty-five, and a ventilator was breathing for him.  
"He seems alive enough."  
"He's on life support. If we pull the plug, he's going to die."  
"What have you done so far?"  
"We've pushed every medication we could think of after we warmed him back to normal body temperature. There's nothing more we can do for him, I'm afraid he just went too long without oxygen."

Kai thoroughly inspected Prance: held his eyes open, tilted his head from side to side, and prodded various places on his neck.  
"Get him into an operating room, remove his liver."  
"Excuse me? He's not an organ donor, and who are you to give medical advice?"  
"It's still possible to fix this, but the medications I have will cause his liver to fail. Get him into an operating room, remove his liver and put it in storage for transplant back into him in three days. Hook him up to a heart-lung machine, and cool his body temperature down to twenty-eight."  
"And what medications do you have in mind?"  
"I have them in my medical quarters; I'll be back in two hours with everything we need, and I will tell you everything when I return, but you have to start now if we want any chance of saving him."  
"What assurance do I have that you will even show up?"  
"This antelope means a lot to me. I would not let him die."  
The caribou rubbed his eyes.  
"Two hours is an incredibly short time. I'm not sure I can get a team ready by then."  
"Do it, his life depends on it."  
"What procedure do you plan on doing, should I choose to follow through with your idea?"  
"I'll have everything written out, side effects and all. Can you do it?"  
The doctor sighed.  
"What are the chances we're looking at here?"  
"Forty percent for a full recovery."  
"And the other sixty?"  
"Twenty-five for debilitating and permanent physical injury, eighteen for insanity, five for both, the rest is death; rather, the treatment fails."  
"I could lose my license for this, but… if there's a chance, we should take it; we have therapists on staff, in any case. I expect you to cover the additional medical expenses." He removed a phone from his white uniform and proceeded to make a phone call.

* * *

 **Six Hours Later**

Leora and Neal were waiting in the hospital lobby; everyone, save for Prance (whose current state had been a well-kept secret on the chance that the treatment would not work), had already been discharged, and they were on their way out.  
"Bogo called. He wants to talk with us," Leora spoke.  
"Not yet. I speak with him first. I want you five to go home, get cleaned up. Wash that dye off, get anything else you need done," Kai answered sternly.  
"He sounded urgent."  
"He can wait."  
"He found out about Prance. I really don't think we should hold it off."  
"I'll deal with everything. Do as I ask."  
They eyed him warily before wandering off. Sven stood still.  
"What do you want me to do?"  
"I don't particularly care. You're free to go wherever you please."  
"I haven't been out on my own in months."  
"You're an adult, are you not?"  
"The compound was really isolating. I mean, I-"  
"If you need help, follow them," Kai sighed, motioning to the five that wandered away. "I'm sure at least one of them will direct you somewhere. I have other matters to attend to." He swiftly set off in the other direction.  
"One last question!"  
Kai turned to face the white wolf, brow raised.  
"Who are you, really?"  
"I am Ambassador Kai, of course."  
"I mean, you're always hunched over, you wear an eyepatch, and you walk like you have no tail. You're not like any wolf I've ever seen, and I've seen some strange wolves."  
"They're getting away, Sven."  
He turned around and, sure enough, they were nearly blended into the crowd; Sven took his crutches under his arms and, cursing himself for dawdling, quickly hobbled off. Kai rolled his eyes. He would need to figure out how to improve his disguise, sooner rather than later.

Kai was determined to solve the issue with Bogo before the rest of them returned. He set off with a decent pace for the downtown precinct, weaving through the pedestrian traffic with ease. Within twenty minutes, the building came into full view. Within five more, he walked up the stone steps and through one of the double doors. He half-expected to see Bogo confront him, but no such thing happened. In fact, the precinct was rather quiet; he approached the desk.  
"Bogo here?"  
"He's not taking visitors right now," the officer answered, absentmindedly, flipping through some pages behind the counter.  
"He's expecting me."  
"And you are..." The hippo looked up to face him, before immediately changing his tone upon recognizing him. "The ambassador! Office is up the stairs, to the right."  
Kai gave an expression of annoyance, before heading up to Bogo's office.

He knocked on the door; on any other occasion, he would have just opened the door, but he decided that angering the chief of police was perhaps not the smartest thing to do. There was no response, so he paused until he heard papers stop riffling before opening the door. Inside, he saw Bogo writing on stationary, with a small stack of completed letters. When Bogo finished the letter, he neatly folded it, put it in an envelope, and added it to the stack before looking up.  
"I don't know where to begin with you," he spoke quietly. His bespectacled eyes were weary and slightly bloodshot; it was evident that, although he had not shed tears, he hated losing his officers.  
"I extend my sincerest apologies-"  
"Really?" He started quietly. "Are you really sorry?"  
"I don't like-"  
"I wasn't done yet. You took them on a fool's errand, onto private property and for what? Did you at least accomplish what you came there for?"  
"No."  
"No. Of course not."  
"It was a slight miscalculation. I had not anticipated-"  
"MISCALCULATION?!" Bogo roared. "You call that a miscalculation?! Insa is dead! My officer, someone's son, a handsome buck, twenty-three, prime of his life, and he has NOTHING left! He was only starting his career!"  
"If they had only-"  
"Do not blame this on them! All that tells me is that you don't care, that you never cared. I don't know what I expected; I should NEVER have agreed to our deal. They're just pawns in your little game, isn't that right?"  
"We're all just pawns in the game of life, Bogo, whether we like it or not. I just try to hold the high hand, same as you, and unfortunately, I lost the draw."  
Bogo gave a sarcastic laugh.  
"So this is all just a game to you. You really do have no grip on reality, nor on the law."  
"If you play by the rules, you'll always lose."  
"And look where your underhanded lawlessness got you this time. It got one of my officers killed, and several more injured. Tell me, do you know where you went wrong?"  
"I gave someone the benefit of the doubt. It won't happen next time."  
"Next time? There is no 'next time'. You're done. Finished. I'm relieving you of your command; they are no longer allowed to associate with you."  
"What, you won't give them a choice?"  
"No. Their lives are my priority, and I see now that 'their lives' and 'you' are mutually exclusive."  
"Do you think that I enjoy failing? That I enjoy watching them die?"  
"Yes, I do think that," Bogo answered smugly. "Especially considering what you did with the colonel. You told me he left."  
"Ah, perhaps I should have specified: _left the mortal realm_."  
"And you really had to write 'I want the military to stay out of my city' on the backside of my door? I wish that I could turn you in to the mayor and have you deported."  
"You know that if you do, I'll be back; you know I have the means. Then, you won't have any say, any control of my actions. I will be a free agent, acting of my own accord, and we both know you _really_ don't want that. That is, if I decide to let the city stay intact at all."

Bogo took his glasses off and sat back in his chair.  
"I want you to pause for a moment and think about the consequences of all of your actions. Right now, I'm writing letters to Insa's next of kin." He pointed to the stack. "His mother, his cousins, brother, everyone we have on file that still lives in the country. They will find out that he died in the line of duty; not a heroic death, mind you. Beaten, horns cut, and drowned in Tundratown; what a shitty way to die. They will live with the notion that this was because he was an officer, and will now carry that bias against the law with them forever. Now, the colonel's death: the military is launching an investigation into the serial killer. They are considering imposing martial law until they find him, and there's nothing I nor Mayor Lionheart can do to veto it. They will ride in and torment the citizens of the city to no end until they do, but little do they know, the culprit is standing before me and has threatened the destruction of the three billion lives in the city should I reveal him. I want you to think about these consequences. Think about the impact your reckless decisions have had on Insa, on his family, on me, on the citizens of the city, and most importantly, the rest of Insa's team. They could have died just as easily as he did: think about what that means to them. Now, get out; I have letters to write."  
Kai had nothing more to say, and Bogo merely glared with choler until he turned to leave. As he opened the door, he saw the five faces of his team, staring, too, with indignation.  
"How long were you standing there?" Kai asked plainly, closing the door behind him as he exited the office.  
"Long enough. Is it true then? Do we really mean nothing to you, even after all this time?" Leora demanded.  
"My, you wasted no time in getting here then." She didn't look amused. Kai stared for several moments more before sidestepping the question. "I have been instructed not to command you; or rather, more accurately, you have been instructed not to associate with me anymore. Tomorrow, I will figure out your adequate compensation, including bonuses, for the work you have performed thus far. I wish you-"  
"Answer the question."  
"-Luck in any future endeavors, and bid you farewell." He turned and began to walk away.  
"Answer me!" she shouted after him, prompting several stares from officers on the first floor. He never responded, instead continuing down the stairs and out the door.

"My God, he never cared," she spoke solemnly.  
"I never expected too much," Felix said. "The way he beat us in the field..." He massaged his ribs. "Speaks a lot for the quality of his character: harsh and uncaring."  
"He seemed nice, wise, and he always did patch us up afterward. He wouldn't teach us for nothing, would he?" Bjorn posed to the rest of them.  
"It was all a ruse," Leora reiterated. "I guess Bogo's waiting for us."  
They entered his office.

"Ah, you six- five." Bogo caught himself. "You are no longer obligated to listen to a word he says, and you are no longer his subordinates. You are _not_ to contact him. Am I making myself clear?"  
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.  
"If any of you would like counseling, Dr. Pawvlov is always available in his office downstairs. Loss is never easy, and I'm sorry he put you through what he did. I wish I had more to say, but..." He grabbed the stack letters in his hooves and arranged them into an orderly stack, before setting them back down on his desk. "I have a lot of work that he just added onto my pile that I really wish didn't need to be done. Alas, some things must be. You can take as much time as you need off."

Everyone, save for Leora, slowly shuffled out.  
"Leora, what are you still doing here? You should go home, rest."  
"Well, I was wondering, what now?"  
"I thought that I would put his training to good use; that, and seeing how you complained about your 'desk job', I'm putting you all on SWAT. I hope that constitutes a promotion?"  
"Thank you, sir," she spoke quietly, as if something was still bothering her.  
"Something else you wanted to ask?"  
"Well, about Prance, we have information about his death," she added, voice laden with hope.  
"Perhaps some other time."  
"We could prosecute the individuals responsible, we could-"  
"Look." He took his spectacles off. "From what I have been told, it sounds like you invaded a private establishment; that already gives them a self defense plea. Even if we put that aside, what evidence could we collect? Insa was drowned, so there won't be any evidence, least of all in arctic conditions."  
"He froze to death."  
"Even worse. Remember, we need evidence to prosecute."  
"So, that's it? No justice?"  
"Sometimes, you have to know when to call it quits."  
She gave a disgusted look.  
"I thought you were on our side." She turned to leave.  
"Reality is a harsh mistress, as is the law. The principle behind it is that an innocent should not go to prison without ample evidence-"  
"And yet they often do," she interrupted from over her shoulder, paw on the doorknob.  
" _Rarely_ do," he corrected. "An unfortunate artifact of this system is that sometimes, the villain gets away. I'm sorry, I really am."  
" _Are you?_ " She left.  
Bogo buried his face in his palms. The ambassador was poisoning them against him.

* * *

 **A/N: Big plans for the next few chapters; not done by a long shot.  
**

 **It was hard to decide when to cut this chapter off, but I figured if I wanted to include the next little portion, I would have to include the next one after that, and then so on, and then this chapter could easily hit twice its length; so, I chose to make this one ~5.5k words. Maybe the next one could reach longer, who knows; it all depends on how much I can get done, since it's another exam/essay week.***

 **It also occurred to me that some disposable characters are more developed than the important protagonist side characters, namely Bjorn, Rufus, and Prance. Hell, I haven't even given any appearances other than 'white, white, and horns' (although to be fair, polar bears, wolves, and antelopes are fairly identical, and I guess the smaller details can be left up to interpretation). How that happened, I have no idea, but I'll work on fixing it. Regardless of what ends up happening to him, Prance is due for development next chapter anyways; I'll also see if I can squeeze some other chardev in elsewhere.**

 ***Philosophy classes are the worst, if I haven't mentioned it already (and I shit you not this is an actual discussion we had in ethics class):  
'Anything that moves can be considered scientifically alive', they say.  
'What about a clock?' I reply.  
'Especially a clock!'.  
'What about vibrating atoms?'  
'Those too.'  
'Then how do we differentiate people from animals from inanimate objects?'  
'Why should we?'  
'How can we classify murder, then?'  
'Do you not murder the air by breathing it?'  
** **Loonies, all of them. Science exists for a reason.**

 **Unrelated Fun Fact #2: Did you know that you have a higher chance of surviving getting stabbed through the heart today than sailing on the Titanic's maiden voyage? (32.6% vs 31.9%)**

 **Unrelated Fun Fact #3: You know the Airship Hindenburg? The one that exploded spectacularly in 1937? Of the 97 passengers on board, 62 survived.**

 **I love these fun facts, I'll probably squeeze one or two in every A/N from here on out unless something happens.**


	19. Chapter XVI: Lex Talionis

**Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019  
(The Next Day)  
7:00 PM  
The Greedy Gryphon Pub  
Downtown Zootopia**

Leora walked in and looked around: she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces; she could have invited the rest of the squad, but decided against it. Loss is a sorrow best drowned with time and solitude; everyone she spoke to would have advised for company, but experience dictated that being alone was more comforting.

The atmosphere of the Greedy Gryphon was very old-timey; she had a strong distaste for it, but it had incredible reviews for its house-brewed refreshments, as well as the added benefit of being within walking distance of her home. The pub wasn't particularly busy, and a sign at the front said 'Seat Yourselves', so she took the liberty of sitting at a small booth in the corner.

Eventually, a bar-maid, dressed in frilly gown complete with silk gloves, came around.  
"What can I get for you, ma'am?"  
"What's good?"  
"Oh, lots of drinks. We have-"  
"Just bring me your favorite," Leora interrupted, before sitting back. The server nodded, scrawled something into a pad of paper, and walked off.

She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. What seemed like several minutes later, the clinking of steins and glasses caught her attention; a couple moments later, she opened her eyes. On the table, there were two glasses of ale: one before her, the second before a gray wolf, clad in dark cotton garb; he seemed plain, albeit old on account of his gray coat being speckled with white; the only thing unusual about him was that he had a scar over one eye, which was white as snow.

"Don't drink much, do you?" he asked with a slight accent, picking up the glass before him and taking a large swig. "Not often someone asks for 'server's favorite'."  
"I came here to get away from wolves," she spoke disdainfully, giving him a scowl. "Especially ones with weird eyes."  
"Well, no worries. I came here to say a couple words, give you an address, pick up the tab, and get on my way. My pups are gonna start worrying if I don't get back home soon."  
"Is this a job offer? If so, I'm not interested. I've already got one. Well-paying, too."  
"That's what this is all about, actually. Payment; you know, come to think of it, this is kind of funny. The last time I came to a mammal about payment, it was them that owed us. Now, it's the other way around."  
"You don't owe me anything. I don't even know you."  
"No." He took another swig, nearly emptying his glass. "But, one of my pals owes you some compensation for a job, or so he says. Told me I would find you here."  
"Who would possible know that I'd-" she paused with realization, before her expression shifted to one of extreme annoyance. "The ambassador."  
"Precisely."  
"Tell him he can keep his money, as long as he gets out of my life."  
"No, I can't do that. He says this is really important, mentioned something about an antelope and a panda."  
She stared at him for a minute, choosing her words carefully.  
"What were his words, exactly as he spoke them?"  
"He only wanted me to give you this." He reached into his suit pocket and took out a small card, before giving it to her. Written on it was an address: Docks District, Pier 4, Warehouse 2. "And he wanted me to tell you two words. I don't know what they mean, but he said you might, something about military code or whatnot."  
"And they were?"  
" _Lex Talionis_."  
She gave a puzzled expression as he withdrew a couple bills from his coat and set them on the table, before getting up and heading for the door.  
"Wait," she spoke after him. "What the hell is Lex Talionis?"  
He shrugged.  
"Address, midnight. The other four already agreed to be there."  
"You already got to the others?"  
"Yup."  
He turned and exited; she chased after him outside.  
"Who are you? How does Kai know you?"  
"Name's Jack; I guess you can say we're friends. Saved my life, so I owe him a lot. Count yourself lucky, I usually don't go out unless I'm doing favors." He gave a big grin, before walking off.

She returned to her seat and finished her ale, not once taking her eyes off of the card he gave her.  
 _Why the docks?_

* * *

 **12:00 Midnight  
Pier 4  
Warehouse 2  
Zootopia Docks**

Leora walked, tranquilizer gun in paw, down the dimly lit alleys of the Docks District. Mostly for Zootopia's commerce, this part of town had no permanent residents save for the homeless and some gangs, both of which she didn't want to run into. Eventually, she reached the building marked with a large '2' on the outside; she walked along the perimeter, and was delighted to find that when she turned the corner, she saw the four mammals of her team waiting by a door.

"Fancy seeing you lads here," she spoke as she approached.  
"Any idea what this is about?" Neal asked, sitting on the concrete floor, arms folded. It was then that Leora noticed that each of them had also brought a weapon. At least she could feel safe, she reasoned.  
"No. What did Jack tell you when he rounded you up?"  
"Who?"  
"The wolf."  
"He gave us the address, and two words," Rufus responded quietly, and with a very slight, hardly noticeable lisp. "Any clue what they mean?"  
She shook her head no and stood quietly with the rest.

Ten minutes had passed and nothing had happened.  
"So, why are we waiting out here?" she asked.  
They all shrugged. She knocked on the door, and it opened instantly; Kai peeked his head out through the crack.  
"You're late," he answered.  
"Wha- But… Huh? You mean to tell me they didn't knock?" she answered shrilly.  
He looked at them, and back at her.  
"No. Come on in." He threw the door open and disappeared into the darkness inside.  
"Are you guys serious?" she asked, as she stepped inside. They warily looked at each other before entering.

"I assume you're wondering why I brought you here," he mused, as he wandered through the dimly lit warehouse.  
"Jack said payment. You'd better not be fooling us," Leora mentioned harshly.  
"I hope he mentioned the second part."  
"Yeah, that. What exactly did he mean with those two words? Lex something or other?" Bjorn piped up.  
"Ahh, here we are." He flicked a large switch and an overhead light fixture turned on, casting a blinding ray of light upon a figure bound to a chair. After their eyes adjusted, they could see that it was a panda, soaked with blood, eyes red from weeping; Yun.

"I brought you company, Yun. How does that make you feel?" Kai taunted. No reply; instead, Yun merely continued to stare blankly at the ceiling in front of him.  
"What is he doing here?" Rufus asked, bitterly.  
"Lex Talionis: the Law of Talion."  
"Meaning?" Leora asked.  
"He killed Prance, cut Rufus' tongue, beat Felix and Bjorn… I could go on about the rest of his captives, but I think you get the point."  
"...Meaning?" She motioned with her hand, implying for him to elaborate.  
"An eye for an eye. I thought you might like revenge."  
"What, outside of the law?" She stared at Yun. "Don't you want any, first?"  
"I already got everything I need from him, names and the like. He's yours now." He turned to leave. "Do with him what you will, beat him any way you want, kill him if you wish. Just make sure everyone who wants a turn, gets one."  
"Damn, I'm not sure I can-"  
Rufus ran up and slugged Yun in the gut. He reeled over and coughed, but resumed his previous posture, leaning back in the chair, staring blankly towards the sky.  
"That was satisfying," Rufus spoke, shaking his paw. "But I think you broke him; he's not reacting."  
"Oh, he only pretends; he still feels everything. Tricky fellow, he was, but everyone breaks eventually." Kai was at the door. "I'll be back in an hour with your payment, I still have to finish packing it."  
He exited, and the door slammed shut behind him.

They stared blankly at Yun. Leora snapped her fingers in front of his eyes to no avail.  
"Yun, you in there?" Neal shouted loudly. The only noise Yun produced was heavy breathing.  
"Hmph. I guess he's accepted his fate."  
"No," Yun spoke suddenly, yet quietly.  
"Oh, you're alive," Neal said, half joking.  
"Not for much longer. He's no wolf, he's a monster."  
"We know," they replied in unison.  
"No, you don't understand. My beautiful son." He teared up and openly wept.  
"What did he do?" Leora asked, suspicious.  
"You think this is my blood?"  
"He wouldn't kill a cub," Neal spoke.  
"I wouldn't count that as beneath him, buddy," Leora replied quietly.  
Yun motioned with his head. They followed his gaze to the ceiling. There, hung by long chain fashioned into a noose, was a panda cub; especially small, despite its age. Eviscerated, body sliced up, eyes gouged, and throat slit. They could only pray that it died before it was mutilated.

Neal began to shake, took several steps back, and vomited before collapsing; Bjorn rushed to attend to him as Yun explained:

* * *

 **Twelve Hours Prior  
Tundratown  
Third River and Highmountain**

The dining hall was filled with streamers from yesterday's party; Yun's son, Lee, had finally turned seven: a big year, considered lucky for pandas. Yun was careful not to spoil Lee; he made sure to give him the necessities, and admittedly quite a bit extra, but never enough so that he would become foul-mannered and demanding.

Yun sat with Lee and several wolves at the table; the adults were eating, while Lee played with several new presents. Some small talk was had, mostly about routine care of the manor, patrols; surprisingly, Yun had stopped caring about the escaped prisoners. He even mourned the loss of the twelve wolves he had sent to escort the ambassador. Money could buy guards, but it could not replace lives.

A wolf opened the door.  
"Sir, infrared sensors went off, but we can't see anything."  
"Sweep the area, notify me of anything."  
"Yes, sir."  
He exited. Yun was displeased, and frowned accordingly. A potential threat, this close to both his son's birthday and the prisoner's escape? It could not be coincidence.

"Get the safe room ready," he spoke quietly to the wolf next to him. "Take Lee with you."  
"And you?"  
"Whatever happens, make sure he stays safe."  
The wolf hesitantly nodded, before getting Lee's attention, taking his paw, and leading him away. Yun sat with only a handful of wolves at the table now.

Five minutes passed before the door cracked open; a wolf peeked his head through.  
"Lee's, er… in the safe room."  
"Very well. Resume your-"  
The wolf emitted a guttural shriek as a clawed hand wrapped around his throat and tore a bright red line across it, spraying the inside of the room.  
"Knock knock, Yun," growled a voice. The door was thrown open, revealing a tall creature with a shrouded face in a dark overcoat.  
"Who- Who are you?!" Yun demanded. The wolves at the table drew tranquilizers and got between the two, firing at the beast at the door. The darts bounced off harmlessly.

The beast laughed.  
"You don't remember?"  
His sickly visage morphed into that of a wolf with one eye of icy blue, and the other bright red. He placed a paw over the red eye.  
"Yun, release my team," he spoke, before laughing boisterously. The mirage dropped, revealing his hooded form once more.  
"N-n-no, this is a nightmare. You are nothing but an apparition!"  
"Oh Ebeneezer, if only that were true!"  
He pulled a silenced handgun and put a bullet through each of the wolves' skulls.

"You know, your security really was top notch," Kai spoke, approaching slowly. "Getting here was very difficult. To your son, especially so."  
"NO!" Yun shouted, grabbing a knife and lunging; Kai grabbed the blade and broke it, before putting the panda into a choke hold, constricting his blood flow.  
"I hope your dreams are pleasant, because they will be the last respite you will ever experience before death."  
The light faded from Yun's eyes as he slowly passed out.

* * *

Yun awoke in a dark room; he didn't know what size it was, nor where he could be in the city. The air was damp, and slightly saline; if he had to guess, it could be either the Canal District, or the Docks. Probably the latter, since the air wasn't too damp.

A blinding light switched on; he tried to shield his eyes with his arm, but found both were tied behind his back. He resorted to squinting, as he tried to identify the situation he was in.  
"H-Hello?" he asked.  
"Ah, yes. Hello," was the response.  
"Please, help me!" he cried out.  
A figure walked out. It was a wolf; the ambassador, dressed in his usual garb.  
"No, NO!" Yun yelled, struggling against his bonds.  
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you, unless _he_ doesn't cooperate."  
"He?"  
"You don't want me to hurt _Papa_ , do you?" Kai shouted over his shoulder. "No? Then get over here."

A small panda cub, sobbing profusely, wandered from the darkness.  
"No! Lee, run! Forget about me!"  
"But he'll hurt you, Papa," Lee answered.  
" _But he'll hurt you, Papa_ ," Kai mocked. "How wonderful! The love a child experiences for his family." He turned and kneeled to be level with Lee. "You would do anything to save your Papa, wouldn't you, little one?"  
Lee nodded.  
"Well, that's great! You're in luck, because as long as Mr. Yun talks to me, no one has to get hurt."  
"Really?" Lee asked, wiping his tears.  
"Of course, I promise," Kai responded.  
Yun glared daggers at Kai.

"So, Yun, your employers."  
"Zootopia National Bank, the CFO. Some sable, I forget his real name, but he asks for me to refer to him as 'Moneybags'. Cliche, I know, but he finances everything."  
"Anyone else?"  
"No. Only twice has he given me work. Every other time, I take independent contracts; but he finances everything, I swear."  
"Any other information I should know about this, 'Moneybags', character?"  
"He supposedly finances Mayor Lionheart's campaign."  
"Oh?"  
"I don't know, you'd have to ask him."  
"I see. Now, about my team."  
"What about it? You already have all of them back."  
"Not all of them." Kai paused, inspecting his claws.  
"You mean the antelope. I'm sorry, please!"  
"Well, you gave me loss, and now I shall do the same."  
"No, you promised!"  
"And you promised, too."

Kai put his paw on Lee's shoulder.  
"This will pinch a bit."  
"But you won't hurt Papa?"  
"No."  
"Fine. As long as you don't hurt Papa."  
"Lee, run! I beg you!" Yun yelled.  
Kai jabbed one claw into Lee's belly and slowly dragged it to the other side; Lee squealed and tried to squirm, but Kai's grip held fast. Soon, the young panda was cut open, and Kai lifted him up and sat him on Yun's lap.

"So, what shall I do next?"  
"No, stop!"  
"'Stop' isn't a body part I'm aware of. Oh, I know! How about his eyes?"  
"YOU MONGREL!"  
Kai covered both of Lee's eyes, and then dug his claws in; blood poured down his cheeks and onto Yun's lap as shrieks filled the air.  
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"  
Kai paused and looked him dead in the eyes.  
"I want you to suffer, and what better way than ripping the only thing you love from your hands, one piece at a time?" He cackled maniacally.

Several cuts later, and Lee was losing consciousness.  
"You know, this is no fun if he's not awake. What say you we end this show with a bang?"  
"You…" Yun choked back tears.  
"Maybe he will give my greetings to your wife?"  
He took a knife from his belt and dragged it quickly across Lee's neck, spraying the elder panda in blood. Kai then stood, walked several paces, and hopped slightly to grab a hanging chain, before pulling and unwinding the winch it hung on; he wrapped it several times around the young panda's neck before securing it in place and wandering over to the console; he pushed a button, and the two were dragged apart with a hum of a mechanical motor.

Moments later, Lee was dead.

"Oh," Kai mentioned, as he walked away. "I took the liberty of hacking your bank accounts; stole most of your savings. Read your will, too. 'I leave everything to my child, Lee'. How touching, but on account of him being… well… dead, I thought I would repossess your estate."  
Yun could not will himself to care about money in that moment.  
"I'll be back," Kai said, as he flicked the lights off and shut the door.

* * *

"Holy shit," Leora exclaimed. "He… He did that?"  
"And not a thing less," Yun responded mournfully. "I have nothing left here. My wife and son are dead. Just take me to be with them. Please." His eyes went to her tranquilizer.  
Leora looked back at the rest of them, before drawing her weapon and pointing it at his neck.  
"Any objections?" she asked of her team. No answers, only shaking heads. She fired once, twice, thrice; she kept firing until her clip ran dry. Yun shed a final tear and slumped over.

"Kai had better have a real fucking good explanation when he gets back," she spoke, holstering her weapon.

* * *

 **One Hour Later**

Kai burst through the door carrying six medium-sized duffel bags.  
"My apologies for being late, counting bills is tedious work."  
"Explain yourself, now," Leora demanded.  
Kai dropped the bags on the ground and inspected Yun.  
"You tranquilized him, shame. I would have-"  
"You tore his cub limb from limb, after promising not to."  
"I did what now?"

Leora recounted Yun's tale.  
"If that's what he told you, then he lied. He was extremely stubborn and selfish. He cared not a shred for his child, and his wife still lives; she divorced him because he beat her regularly, and he got the child because he had all the money; used little Lee as a punching bag, which is why he's so small and deformed. He didn't answer my questions repeatedly, so for every question he didn't answer, I cut the child. After the cub was dead, he still didn't answer, so I beat him severely. Only then did he talk."  
"You mean..."  
"Yep. You just gave a clean death to a shitty father."  
"How can I trust you?"  
"Remember, I never lie."  
She thought for a moment, before roaring in outrage and punching Yun square in the snout; the ghost of a smile etched on his face seemed to mock her efforts.  
"Bring him back so I can beat him," she shouted.  
"His heart stopped, there's no point."  
Leora slammed Yun's face several more times.  
"Why did you have to torture the kid, though?" she cried out.  
"Oh, I gave him an enormous amount of anesthetic; he was in a land of dreams before I even began. I'm heartless, but I'm not needlessly evil; I think Yun made the wretch suffer far more than I ever could."

A brief pause in conversation as everyone's eyes went to the duffel bags.  
"So, what happened with our payment?" Felix asked.  
"Here." He pointed to the bags. "All the money I could scrounge from his home before I burned it to the ground. Twenty-four million, split six ways."  
"Twenty- What the fuck?" Neal exclaimed, still lying supine on the ground.  
"Well, it was twenty-five million, eight-hundred something thousand, but I gave a thousand to every prisoner from his jail that I freed, eight hundred thousand to an orphanage that I just happened to pass by that specializes in predators, just to spite him, and about a million to the Tundratown precinct."  
"Why?" Rufus asked.  
"I prefer nice round numbers."  
"You know, I didn't think you'd be taking an even cut," Leora mused, grabbing bags and tossing them to the others.  
"I'm not."  
"What's the split, then?"  
"Twenty-four, split six ways?" he answered, almost as if he didn't know what she was asking. "It's an even split."  
"Then why six bags?"  
"I want you to take the sixth bag to Prance's home at noon; police pension is notably terrible, and I'm sure it will be well appreciated. I'll be there to greet you."  
"Oh."  
"Well, You'd best be off. I have some cleaning to do before the morning crews arrive."  
He pushed a button, and the chain holding Lee began to lower.

They slowly shambled to the door, Bjorn carrying Neal. Just as they were exiting, Kai shouted to them.  
"Don't forget, Prance's home at noon."  
They nodded.

* * *

 **12:10 PM  
Brush Street  
Savannah Central**

The five mammals walked up to the door; according to police records, in the outskirts of Savannah Central, it was Prance's home. They were all dressed in formal black, and Leora even wore a dress, much to the amusement of the rest of them. Bjorn gently knocked; Kai answered the door.

"You're late. Again." He looked them up and down. "Why are you in black? And why are you in a dress, Leora?"  
"I know, right?" Rufus jested lightly.  
"Is there anything wrong with a dress?" she asked, insulted.  
"No, it's just that..."  
"Just that, what?"  
"I always thought you were more of a _butch_ lesbian," Rufus spoke quietly. She punched him in the throat, and he collapsed, wheezing; everyone else laughed, but fell silent when she cracked her knuckles.  
"Implying I'm a lesbian at all. Dick." She kicked him in the ribs as she entered. Everyone else entered, leaving Kai to help Rufus up.

"So, what was wrong with black?" Leora asked in the foyer.  
"He'll be offended."  
"How were we supposed to know?"  
"I guess it's too late, now."  
In that moment, an older-looking antelope rolled in on a wheelchair; his horns were gnarled, his fur was long and shaggy, and he looked as if he went ungroomed for nearly a decade.  
"Ah, I'm glad you could make it," he spoke gruffly, before motioning to several armchairs and a sofa behind him. "Come in, have a seat. We were just talking about you."

They all walked in and arranged themselves; they sat in silence for a while.  
"Well, I have some words I'd like to say, if that's alright," Leora spoke.  
"What kind?" Kai asked.  
"A… eulogy of sorts."  
The elderly antelope chuckled.  
"Heh. Well, let's hear it, then."  
"Prance was a good comrade. I didn't personally know him for much longer than a week, but I saw him in the precinct nearly every day. His record was stellar, he was certainly an aspiring officer; every assignment was carried out with the utmost attention to detail. Every time he pulled street duty, he did his job right: with no excess force and to the letter of the law. It was a shame that he died the way he did; although he shouldn't have died at all, especially at such a young age, to die in such a horrible manner is nothing short of a tragedy. He was a good officer, and a good friend."  
The other mammals just looked down at the floor, but Kai and the antelope began to laugh.  
"It wasn't funny," Leora spoke, outraged.  
"You know, it was a touching speech, but..." Kai began.  
"You might want to wait until I'm dead before you try to eulogize me," the antelope finished.  
"Wait, what?" Leora said, quizzically. "Kai, isn't this Prance's dad?"  
"No, Prance lives alone. I'm only here because he needed help getting back from the hospital. But… Seeing that you five are here, I guess it's high time that I left." He stood and made for the door.  
"What?!"  
"I don't forsake my own."  
"Hold the fucking phone. You owe us an explanation. Prance was dead; Bogo told us that, the hospital told us that, Yun told us that, and YOU told us that."  
"Actually, I said he died. _Past tense_. As in, not currently." He turned, before putting a finger up and wheeling around on his heel. "And before I forget; Prance, I need you to call Bogo and tell him not to send letters to your next of kin."  
"Oh shit, was he actually about to?"  
"Yes. Better hurry, too. He'll probably do it any minute."  
Prance took his cellphone and began to dial Bogo.

"Alright, he's alive. How?" Felix asked.  
"The astute will notice that he looks old and emaciated," Kai explained. "That's because we had to physically age him eight years."  
"Why?"  
"He suffered nerve damage from oxygen deprivation. Nerve cells can heal on their own, but it takes years. We can't afford to keep him hooked up that long due to possible complications, so I brought in medications to speed up metabolism and cell division. Of course, that comes with side effects of its own..."  
"Like his ragged appearance?"  
"It's not just appearance. He was twenty-three; is chronologically twenty-three, rather. But biologically, he's thirty-one now. He only looks that way because he hasn't been groomed in the equivalent of eight years. He'll have a thirty percent higher lifetime risk of cancer; on top of that, his muscles atrophied. He'll need physical therapy before he can do anything."  
"How long before he's back with us?"  
"Probably never."  
"What?"  
"Potentially, he can return to the force in six months to a year, but to the intensity that you will… it might never happen. The procedure had complications; some nerves regenerated wrong in his right leg, so although he can walk and run, he might collapse or injure himself if he tries to sprint for long."  
"Can you fix it?"  
"There are some things that even I cannot fix."

He turned to leave, but again stopped.  
"You know, Bogo was right."  
"About what?" Leora asked.  
"I never consider consequences for anyone else: Prance ending up like this is all my fault. I never should have involved you to begin with; I don't know why I expected you to be able to perform to my standards."  
"Are you calling us incapable?" Felix questioned, insulted.  
"I'm sure you are capable, but not enough for my purposes. Had you all been more like me, the plan would have worked, but I miscalculated your potential. I suppose it's for the best that we separate; I'm not sure I'm ready for responsibility over a team that is only as strong as the enemy. I hear you five made SWAT, a real promotion. Congratulations."  
"And what will you do?"  
"Business as usual. Get to the bottom of this, sans you six. I would have contracted you for more work at your own risk, but orders are orders, and Bogo gives them very well."  
"Well..." Rufus began. "With 'bonuses' like that, I'm sure I can do part-time contract work."  
"Perhaps some moonlighting as an agent of mine, then?" Kai asked.  
Rufus shrugged.  
"Bonuses?" Prance asked.  
"Oh yeah," Leora piped up, handing him the sixth duffel bag. "Four million, for that last job at Yun's."  
His eyes went wide.  
"Four million?" He opened the bag up to start counting.  
"It's all there," Kai assured. "Don't spend it all in one place," he joked.  
He paused for a moment.  
"Well, I should get going. You know how to contact me." He turned and left.

"So… You live alone?" Felix asked of Prance, one he hung up the phone.  
"Yeah, have for three years now, ever since Dad died."  
"Who was your father?"  
"I'd… rather not talk about it."  
"Well, what about your mother?"  
"She moved away; she didn't really care all that much after I decided to stay with Dad when they divorced. My brother, Roane, moved away with her."  
"Talk to them at all? Call?"  
"No. Maybe it's for the better."  
"Why, though? They're family," Leora queried.  
"Do you talk to your family, Leora?"  
"My parents are in an asylum with dementia. I have no siblings, and my cousins and I aren't that well acquainted. I would give anything to have family to talk to."  
"Well, I'm in a different boat. My dad killed fourteen mammals, strung them up, and got the electric chair, so whenever I try to call my family, they immediately think I take after him and spew obscenities before hanging up."

The room immediately got quiet.  
"Don't worry about it," Prance stated, giving a nervous chuckle. "Hey, break out the champagne. Let's celebrate the fact that I'm not dead."  
"Well, I guess at least on the bright side, they won't card you at bars anymore," Neal offered, before Rufus gently nudged him. Prance just grinned.  
"Yeah, I got that going for me. As soon as I can walk, I'm taking a trip to a bar. Hell, now that we're all millionaires, I'll take you all with me; I'll buy."  
"Sounds like a plan," Felix agreed, smiling.  
"But no, really. Kai got a bottle of champagne, it's on the table upstairs; glasses are in the cupboard. Someone get them, I'm kind of..." He wiggled his legs gently in the wheelchair.  
"Oh, right." Leora went to go grab it, before returning shortly with the bottle and several champagne flutes.

They toasted and drank.  
"So, what now?" Prance asked.  
"Well, the five of us are on SWAT now," Bjorn stated.  
"Great, now you get to have an excuse for sitting on your asses all day."  
Everyone laughed.  
"But really, what now? What happens to the six of us?" Prance posed.  
"We'll keep in touch. I'm pretty sure the five of us will be together permanently, and we'll take time to visit you," Neal said cheerfully. Everyone voiced their agreements. "Maybe in six months when you feel better, you can come back and visit us."  
"I don't know about that; I'll probably retire, maybe put some of this money to starting up a company, invest some into stocks; I think I'm done with police work."  
"Why, though?"  
"I thought I had something to prove; my dad muddied my name and the rest of my family thought low of me, so I made the choice to be on the right side of the law. Now that I've technically died for it, I think I've proved enough."  
"Do whatever makes you happy, we'll be there for you," Bjorn spoke proudly.  
Prance gave a weak smile. He had a feeling that Bjorn was telling the truth.

* * *

 **5:30 PM  
Senate Building  
Downtown Zootopia**

Kai walked through the large atrium towards the senate offices; he had received an invitation from Senator Ian Cynewulf for dinner, and decided it would make for good public relations: Senator Cynewulf was young wolf, popular among nearly everyone in the city. He passed office after office, until finally, at the very end of the hall, he reached a rather plain door labeled with the senator's name. He knocked.

"Yes, come in Ambassador. I've been waiting."  
Kai opened the door and was greeted by the scent of roasted chicken; where he previously thought they would go out for dinner, the senator went and had it delivered instead. He also noticed a refreshing autumn breeze coming from the open window; odd, seeing as the office had an air-conditioning unit installed on the wall adjacent to the window, which was already operating full-blast. Upon taking a glance out the window, Kai noticed several things were starkly wrong.

"I see you've spared no expense, Senator," Kai spoke; the platter smelled very good, and was obviously very expensive; it was coated in exotic spices, and had several side dishes, some of which Kai was unable to identify. However, there was something sickly and strange to the smell as well, something oddly familiar.  
"Please, have a seat." The senator's voice was soothing, which was not unexpected of a politician.  
"I'll get straight to the point, Senator. Why have you dragged me out here?"  
"Are you implying something? How do you know I don't just want to have dinner?"  
"You've coated the chicken in diazepam, presumably to drug me. The AC is on while the window is open. I can see a sniper placed on the opposite rooftop; at first glance, I would assume he'd be targeting you, but if so, he would have taken his shot by now."  
The senator narrowed his gaze.  
"I was told you'd be good, but I never imagined you could survey so much with one glance."  
"You won't have a better shot, if you plan on taking one."  
"No, I don't plan on poisoning you yet."  
" _Yet_. Implying you could."  
Cynewulf snapped his fingers and a dart sailed in through the window, before bouncing pathetically off of Kai's vest. Kai shrugged. He snapped his fingers again, and a second dart landed in Kai's neck.

At first, nothing; then, Kai felt an immediate sensation of lethargy. Nothing dangerous, but whatever was in the dart must have been a powerful venom indeed if it could make him feel this bad.  
 _Oh, he tried to kill you._ Kai heard from the back of his mind. _Make him suffer._  
 _No,_ _not now. Get out.  
_ _But this is so fun! I want to watch you tear his heart out.  
_ _Piss off._  
Kai fell to his knees.  
"You know, I was going to give you an offer, but I suppose disposing of you works just as well," Cynewulf spoke, walking closer.  
"You are unwise, standing so close to me," Kai grunted through gritted teeth.  
"Why, are you afraid? I imagine the paralysis has already set in, but the paranoia will soon follow. Antares brewed that poison himself, you're not moving from that spot."  
 _He's taunting you!_ The disembodied voice goaded him on. _Kill him now!_  
"You're lucky I have self restraint, Senator," Kai spoke. The fatigue faded, and with it, the voice.  
"If you can do anything, anything at all, I would love to see it."

Kai lunged to his feet and clutched the senator by the throat, pinning him against the desk; the plates shattered, and the food atop them scattered to the floor.  
"Im—pos—sible," Cynewulf choked out. Kai slammed the window closed, just as several darts imbedded in the glass pane.  
"So, this offer." He released the wolf who grasped at his throat, gasping for air.  
"How did you get up? That's impossible..."  
"The offer!"  
"Very well." He straightened his tie, and brushed bits of food off of his suit. "I need to give some context to the issue at hand. We first noticed this problem around a week ago. A serial killer on the loose. Then, I noticed a pattern to some of the killings: they were all underlings, in one form or another. Then the deaths started going up the chain of command."  
"And you're trying to save yourself?"  
"You wouldn't have reached me for several years. The panda was the subordinate's subordinate of a subordinate, ten layers down. No, I invited you here because needless death interferes with our plans."  
"Our?"  
"I want to invite you to join us, Ambassador."  
"And what, exactly, is 'us'?"  
"Why, the Astral Court, of course."

* * *

 **A/N: Wow I finally managed to get a chapter out early; hopefully it's all properly proofread. I've put Nick and Judy on the backburner for a while until I can do something relevant with their story. I'll probably put the six on the backburner for a chapter or two as well.**

 **Name fact: Cynewulf was an Old English poet, and means 'kin of wolf'.**

* * *

 **Looking these up takes a lot of stress out of my day. Sorry if they're extremely complicated.**

 **Reader Submitted Fact: Ninety percent of people struck by lightning survive.  
Technically true (the best kind of true!), but you'd probably develop heart problems or other neurological disease; at least you're not dead though. The other one was bordering between philosophy and semantics on infinity, and I abhor philosophy right now so I'm just leaving this one.**

 **Fun Facts, Particle Physics Edition:  
Fun Fact #4: ****If you take two gallon milk jugs full of electrons, put one on the surface of the Earth, one on the surface of the Sun (assuming it has a solid surface), and move the Earth and the Sun so that their surfaces are one meter apart, the electromagnetic repulsive force between the milk jugs is more than twice the force of gravitational attraction between the entire Earth and the entire Sun. Those milk jugs would actually push the Sun and Earth apart to about 1.41, or sqrt(2.056) meters apart (if my math was correct).**

 **Fun Fact #5: C** **olor charge makes the strong nuclear force do some cool shit. Where gravity and electromagnetism lose strength proportionally to the radius squared, the strong force increases proportionally in strength with the radius. Normally, if you take two magnets, stick them together, and try to pull them apart, it's initially very hard, but as they get farther apart, it becomes easier and easier to pull them even further. However, if you grab a quark in one hand, and it's bonded pair in the other, and pull apart, it gets harder and harder the farther apart they get. Eventually it becomes more favorable to pull a quark-antiquark pair out of vacuum and rebond than it would be to keep stretching them apart; essentially, you've just put in enough energy to create matter. Hence, E = mc^2.**

 **Fun Fact #6: E = mc^2 isn't the complete equation. The full form is: E^2 = (pc)^2 + (mc^2)^2, where p is momentum. This equation is a formulation for 'mass-energy equivalence'. What this full form means is that as you get faster (or gain more kinetic energy), you become more massive (or gain more mass). For this reason, nothing that has mass can travel at the speed of light in vacuum. As you get faster, you gain more mass. In order to get this larger mass faster, you have to use much more energy, and then you get even more mass. Eventually, as you approach the speed of light in vacuum, you gain infinite mass, which can no longer be accelerated by any finite amount of energy.**

 **Fun Fact #7: You actually can travel faster than light in certain mediums. In water, light only travels 75% as fast as it would in vacuum. It's easy for scientists to accelerate electrons faster than this speed in water (but never faster than the speed of light in vacuum). This creates what's called Cherenkov Radiation, the equivalent of a sonic boom, except for light instead of sound, and is why reactor cores glow blue underwater. In super-cooled rubidium, light only travels 38 miles per hour.**

 **Next time: chemistry, astronomy, basic knowledge? Some other subject? I'm open to suggestions.**


	20. Chapter XVII: Where Stars are Made

**5:40 PM  
Senate Building  
Downtown Zootopia**

"The Astral Court? You speak as if I know what that is." Kai asked, curious. Cynewulf laughed.  
"Our secret society, if you will."  
"Fucking beautiful; the last thing I need is another Illuminati."  
"Do not take us for some cheap gag, Ambassador," Cynewulf spoke, insulted. "The Astral Court has, for over two-thousand years, steered the fate of mammal society. Hence the name: as the stars have guided their ancestors, we shall guide their progeny."  
"So, suppose I say yes. Am I to be equal in standing to the rest?"  
"Yes."  
"So how will this work?"  
"First, I will take you as a protege-"  
"I thought you said equal," Kai interrupted warily.  
"It is merely a formality; I must show you the ropes, so to speak, teach you the laws of the Court. Then, should you pass the rest of the evaluations, you can become a member in full."

"Now, let's get down to the real question. Why are you inviting me? What ulterior motives could you possibly possess to give a madman like me this much power?"  
"What did you just say?"  
"Why are you inviting me?"  
"No, what did you call yourself?"  
"My apologies. I let my expressions get the better of me sometimes."  
Cynewulf gave him a suspicious glare.  
"You want power, from what I tell. This is the way to get it: we directly control the fate of everything that has happened in the city since its existence, as well society before then."  
"Really," Kai sputtered sarcastically, thinking of examples with which to test the senator's claim. "Bellwether?"  
"My predecessor orchestrated the whole uprising. Had she not been deposed, he had a plan for that as well."  
"Outlawing firearms?"  
"Before my time, but I am told that they drugged the mammal and coerced him into committing the massacre in order to pass the law."  
"Nip distribution in the streets?"  
"A carefully regulated market, along with every other drug; all our doing."

Kai pondered the statement for a moment.  
"How?"  
"The Court is comprised of hundreds of individuals: each of us is in some position of power or another; when we come together, we make decisions on where to steer the fate of the city, and then the individual members make it so. Generals, scientists, senators..."  
"The mayor?"  
Cynewulf laughed.  
"Goodness, no. Lionheart is a fool. We have kept his family in power for generations because the city likes him; that, and they make for excellent scapegoats."  
"You still didn't say what you have to gain from this."  
"We want the serial killer off the streets. The others haven't paid much attention to you as the ambassador, but I have kept a watchful gaze; I made the connection, which of course has proven to be correct. This way, I get to keep a closer eye on you; besides, you are smarter and more observant than you seem. You may yet turn out to be of some use to us. So, will you accept my offer?"

Kai sat on the chair and perched his head on his fist. After several minutes of deliberation, he finally answered.  
"Fine. I'll play your game. On-"  
"No conditions. You are either in or out, in which case we kill you."  
Kai laughed.  
"If I had a dime for every time someone threatened to kill me, I would be the richest man alive."  
Cynewulf scowled.  
"The richest _what_?"  
"Mammal," Kai corrected.  
"No, you said man. How do you know of such things?"  
Kai shrugged.  
"Slip of the tongue."  
"Twice now? Unlikely, but I don't have time to deliberate right now. Follow me."

The senator exited the office and began heading for the front entrance of the senate building. As he made his way out, he pulled his phone out and quickly conversed with someone, before stowing it again. When they cleared the building, they stood at the curbside for several minutes before a plain car pulled up. Cynewulf opened the door and motioned for Kai to get in; he hesitated.  
"We don't have all day," the wolf prompted.  
"Where are we going?"  
"You'll know soon enough."  
Kai rolled his eyes and entered; the senator entered after him and closed the door.

The inside of the car was just as plain as the outside; cloth seats, slightly tinted windows, strange smell. The only other mammal in the car was the driver, a rather lithe lion in a chauffeur's uniform. As soon as they were completely seated, the car began to move. Several minutes after pedestrians became less frequent, the senator began to talk.  
"Now that we are in a more… private setting, I need to explain some very important things to you," Cynewulf began. "When we arrive, I will have more proper vesture prepared for you to wear."  
"You have dress code?"  
"Yes, nothing over-the-top; you might find it slightly… strange, but it adheres to centuries-old tradition."  
"Anything else I should know?"  
"Within the confines of the Court Chambers, you are to refer to me as Sirius."  
Kai laughed.  
"You have little code names, too? Surely, you jest?"  
" _Astral_ Court, we take the names of the stars."  
"Are these secret identities, Ian?"  
"No, we know everyone that we need to know; for instance, Antares is head of a pharmaceutical company, as well as a former formulation chemist; he made the poison that I tried to dart you with. The names are merely a formality."  
"Very well, _Sirius_."  
Cynewulf smiled.  
"See? You're getting it."  
"Let me guess. You're going to call me Procyon?"  
"Lucky guess."  
"Lucky guess? Procyon, the little dog star, precedes Sirius by several degrees in the night sky."  
"I guess you know your stars."  
"Who's the driver? Arcturus?"  
"No, the chauffeur is merely a servant of mine. The actual Arcturus is not someone to be taken lightly."  
"Why not?"  
"Commander of the military, always has things his way; his protege is a pain in my ass and there's nothing I can do about it. You need two vetoes to prevent a protege, and I was the only one."  
"Do the names have any rhyme or reason to them?"  
"Well, if I die when you are my protege, you will become take up the mantle of Sirius. When you take a protege, they will be Procyon. As such, the protege of Sirius will always be Procyon. There are several other pairs like this, but in general, no: there is no pattern to the names."

Kai looked out the window; they had long since exited the city.  
"Now, there are three major rules in the Astral Court that you must always obey," Cynewulf started.  
"And they are?"  
"First and foremost, it exists to serve the public. Although we may have negligible personal gain from the actions we take, we do not abuse our positions for it. No personal gain."  
"Sounds reasonable enough."  
"Second, and this ties in very closely with the first point: the needs of the city come first."  
"By what metric?"  
"If you can serve the one, or the many, choose the many. Often, the one tends to be you, but sometimes it can be a loved one, or a bystander. This is why we regulate a drug trade: some take a hit, but it keeps crime localized, which benefits the city as a whole."  
"I see."

The car stopped, and Cynewulf opened the door.  
"Third: there may be certain truths that are hard to hear. One in particular which many cannot handle we call 'The Truth'; you must never discuss it with anyone outside of the court."  
"And this Truth is?"  
"I believe, in your terms, 'a story for another time'."  
"So that's what that feels like," Kai muttered.

They exited; Kai looked at the surroundings. They were on a lakeshore in a wooded area; he could see the city skyline clearly. They couldn't be more than five miles outside of the city. There was a large building, resembling a museum or theater of some sort, at the end of a path leading away from the lake.  
"Come, now." Cynewulf began to walk up the path, and Kai followed.  
Soon, they reached a set of double doors on the building.  
"Speak only when spoken to, and remember what I told you on the ride here."  
"Very well, Sirius," Kai spoke, rolling his eyes. Sirius grinned, and threw the doors open.

The pair walked in; the inside was nothing special; it looked like nothing more than a hotel lobby. There was a concierge sitting at a desk, a goat in a black uniform.  
"It's getting dark out," the goat spoke.  
"The darker the night, the brighter the stars," replied Sirius. Satisfied with the response to the code phrase, the goat began casual conversation.  
"So, who's the new wolf?"  
"My new protege. I trust we have spare robes?"  
"Sure, but I mean… damn, you go through proteges faster than the city goes through Lionhearts."  
"Is that supposed to mean something?" Kai asked.  
They both stared at him.  
"Speak only when spoke to, Procyon," Sirius reminded.  
"Nah, let him ask. You're not the first Procyon that this Sirius had, I think you're what, the third?" the goat answered.  
"Yes, the third," Sirius replied dryly.  
"What happened to the other two?" Kai queried.  
"First one hung himself when we told him the Truth, the second one threatened to tell it to the city, so we had him killed," the goat replied.  
"Don't make their mistakes," Sirius warned.  
"Anyways, you know where the robes are, just take any one that isn't already labeled."  
"My thanks."  
They set off down the hall.

"Why is it, I tell you not to do something, and you do just that?" Sirius asked of Kai.  
"You didn't mention that I'm the third one; you can't expect me not to ask."  
"Just don't do it again."

They went down several flights of stairs, before entering a storeroom of some sort; there were many robes and masks of different shapes and sizes that hung on racks along the walls; Sirius fished two robes, donned one and handed the other to Kai. Kai inspected it: it was dark and starry, speckled with intricate patterns; the robe itself seemed very old. He put it on; it was a snug fit over his uniform and gear, but the sleeves and leg portions were long enough to completely cover his arms and legs.  
"Nice, I was hoping I wouldn't need a different size. Now, where did I put that mask..."  
Kai looked up and saw that Sirius had already thrown the robe's hood up and donned a porcelain mask: a very simple, nearly featureless representation of a wolf's face, except that it was black as the night sky, unlike his brown fur. On the mask, the constellation Canis Major was printed in white, with the star Sirius being centered.  
"Ah, here." He fished out a similar mask, except that the constellation was instead Canis Minor, with the centered star being Procyon. He gave the mask to Kai.

He held the mask in his hands; he had no way of putting it on. Had he tried to attach it to his face on top of his current mask, it would sit wrong; if he took his current mask off, it would sit better on his face, but it would still clip into the wolf's disguise.  
"Well, go on," Sirius urged.  
"Out of curiosity," Kai began, trying to kill time, or perhaps to distract his mentor, "Where did this uniform come from? The tradition, I mean."  
"Funny you should ask. It falls into one of the truths, which I shouldn't reveal quite yet, but..." Sirius turned away to drone on. Kai took this moment to remove his mask, carefully stow it in his vest, put the porcelain one on, and switch off the disguise projector; the long robe hid his lack of fur, and the porcelain mask concealed his face. In a pinch, it would have to do, but he was treading dangerous ground; if the mask fell off, he would be revealed; likewise, if the robe snagged, he would be revealed.  
"… Once you learn about the Truth, I'm sure it will all become clearer to you," Sirius finished, still staring at the opposite wall. "You know, it's kind of funny. All these masks, unused until the members find a protege."  
"Is it hereditary?" Kai asked, simply out of curiosity.  
"For the most part, yes."  
"Why not you, then?"  
"Me? Pups? Nah. Pups are noisy, they slobber, and quite frankly, they're pretty disgusting. Besides, I haven't found anyone that I would like to mother my pups, and I don't think I will any time soon."  
"You seem like you're in an awful hurry to find a protege. That's the mark of a terminally ill man."  
Sirius turned at the sound of the last word.  
"I know that wasn't a mistake. You meant to say man that time."  
"Don't change the subject, you are terminally ill, aren't you?"  
Sirius sighed.  
"Not immediately, but..."  
"What is it?"  
"They officially call it 'nontuberculous second degree consumption', whatever that even means. So rare they might name it after me. Some of them are already calling it Cynewulf disease."  
"How long?"  
"Ten years."  
"You still have time."  
"Ten years isn't much time at all. They told me that one day, I'll just die. Fall over, pass out, and never wake up. In the mean time, I'm just coughing up blood, and I'm always tired."  
"Time is an illusion: there's only as much as you make of it. Besides, I'm sure I could cure it."  
"Antares and Regulus couldn't cure it, what chance do you have?"  
"Science is a mercurial subject. What couldn't be cured a hundred years ago can be cured with one pill today."  
"It's not a hundred years into the future yet," Sirius responded bitterly.  
"My only question now is why?"  
"Why what?"  
"If you know you're dying, and that I'm the serial killer, why make me your protege if you know I'll succeed you? Aren't you afraid of what I'll do?"  
"Well, I'll keep an eye on you until my time is done, and then the rest of the Court will keep an eye on you."  
"And you trust them to do that?"  
"I trust them with my life. Why else do you think I'd take the hundreds of pills and shots that Antares and Regulus concocted to try to cure me, when they normally make poisons and disease?"  
"Hmph. Fair enough."  
"Well, I think we dawdled enough here, I think it's time enough that I showed you the chambers."

They went up a flight of stairs and down the hall; along the way, they passed several other robed individuals, some of whom Sirius greeted; Kai couldn't begin to guess how he could tell who was who beneath the masks from such a distance. Eventually, they reached another set of double doors.  
"Ready for your first glimpse of reality, Procyon?"  
"Ready as I'll ever be."  
"Behold, the Court Chamber!" Sirius announced proudly, before opening the doors for Kai. Inside, a very grand, extremely large atrium with nearly uncountable partitions and seats; each partition had a separate bust of some mammal or another, but in the very center of the atrium where very partition met, there was a large statue depicting a figure holding up the world.  
"Fairly big. Am I supposed to be impressed?"  
"Surely you must have noticed the statue in the center, holding up a globe?"  
"Is that your stunning revelation? That the world is round?"  
Sirius looked dumbfounded.  
"… But who's holding up the globe?"  
Kai looked more closely; it was a humanoid figure, well sculpted; it was made fairly recently.  
"The titan Atlas, what do you know."

Sirius' eyes widened.  
"You can't possibly know that."  
"Know what?"  
"About Atlas!"  
"Atlas, titan god of endurance and astronomy, son of Iapetus and Clymene, overthrown by Zeus and the Olympians who forced him to hold up the sky for all eternity. According to legend, he was turned to stone by Perseus with Medusa's head; he became the Atlas Mountain Range in the East, where he still stands today. I know about Atlas."  
Sirius didn't say anything; instead, he called a giraffe over.  
"Procyon, this is Achernar, chief historian at the Zootopian Archeological Society."  
"A pleasure," Kai spoke. The giraffe bowed his neck slightly.  
"Achernar, is it possible that there exists some information that we haven't yet suppressed?"  
"I don't see why not," Achernar answered. "Why do you ask?"  
"He claims to already know of Atlas."  
"Strange. What else do you know?"  
Kai shrugged.  
"Perhaps when it is time, we will find out what you know and what you do not. However, I believe we are about to begin," Achernar responded, motioning to the stage where the statue of Atlas was placed.

They found seats in the chamber.  
"Alright Procyon: this will be a relatively small meeting today, if memory serves. Mostly general business, progress reports; perhaps twenty or so matters to deal with before I get a chance to speak freely. I will say that I have a new protege and, if all goes well, they won't complain. Then-" Sirius began.  
"You didn't get their approval first?"  
"Well, when you go through two proteges, they start to get a little… finicky. I don't technically need it, but they wanted it."  
"And if they disagree?"  
"Well… let's hope they do not."

A large grizzly bear walked onto the stage.  
"Arcturus," Sirius supplemented. "Unofficially conducts the meetings; he's not anyone's superior except his protege's, but we all like his sense of order."  
"Let everyone be seated. First order of business: Achernar, any new finds that need to be hidden?" Arcturus bellowed. Although he used no microphone, his voice carried through the enormous auditorium with ease.  
"No," Achernar answered compendiously.  
"Second order of business: any news on the serial killer?"  
"Yes," Sirius spoke up. "I have dealt with him. He will no longer be a problem."  
"You have been wrong before, Sirius, but very well."

Arcturus carried on through tasks with startling efficiency; mostly one-word replies, usually to affirm or deny, although occasionally, there were more elaborate answers.  
"Eighth order of business: Antares, your new narcotic: how ready is it for distribution?"  
"We're working on modifying the sap of the poppy flower; we could introduce it as is, but it wouldn't have the desirable effect," Antares answered.  
"What is the desirable effect?" Kai asked quietly of Sirius.  
"Crime is down, but fear is up due to you running amok. They intend to introduce a new drug to switch the two around a bit," Sirius provided.  
"I'm fairly certain introducing heroin to animals is, quite possibly, the worst idea I've ever heard. I can almost guarantee that it won't do that."  
"It's a regulated market, they know what they're doing. Remember, we've been doing this for over two thousand years."

The bear breezed through several more points before the final one caught Kai's interest.  
"The final order of business: the explosion off of the coast of the city. I haven't been able to pinpoint the source. Several of you assure me that it won't have any lasting effect on the ecosystem, but there exists the possibility that it could happen again."  
"It won't happen again," Kai muttered to Sirius.  
"How can you be so certain?"  
"I did it the first time."  
Sirius began to laugh; every gaze in the room went to him.  
"Something _funny_ , Sirius?" Arcturus asked, clearly irritated at having been interrupted.  
"Well, I believe we've found the source. My new protege claims to have caused it."  
"Your _new protege_." Arcturus removed his mask with one paw and massaged his eyes with the other. "Sirius, we've talked about this."  
"Listen, I know in the past-"  
"I know you need to find a successor, but you told us you have ten years. TEN YEARS. Why the rush?"  
"Technically, they said _up to_ ten years. I'm not exactly aging like fine wine."  
"Very well. Does anyone have any objections to a new Procyon?" Arcturus asked of the crowd, replacing his mask. No one responded.  
"Then it's decided; let him come forth."

"That's your cue, Procyon. Go down to him," Sirius reassured.  
Kai walked down the steps of the aisle to the stage. When he reached the center, Arcturus whispered to him.  
"You claim to have caused the blast?"  
"It won't happen again."  
"How can I be certain you aren't fabricating this detail?"  
"It was a weapons test."  
"Who can I get to verify this claim?"  
"I could always demonstrate again; I hesitate to show you the mechanism behind it, lest you decide to manufacture the weapon yourself."  
Arcturus laughed loudly, before reducing his voice to a whisper again.  
"What reason would we have for such weapons?"  
"I'd rather not give you one."  
"Very well; so be it. You ever take an oath before?"  
"Several."  
"Well, this is something like that."

Arcturus raised his voice so that everyone could hear.  
"There are numerous laws and regulations that the Court has made; however, none so important as four that you must vow never to break. First: do you aver never to abuse this position of power for personal gain?"  
"Yes." Kai wondered why the bear had said four, when Sirius had only mentioned three.  
"Second: do you aver to put the needs of the city before yours?"  
"Yes."  
"Third: do you aver to never reveal the Truth to outsiders?"  
"Yes? I would need to know it to do that, wouldn't I?"  
Sirius snorted and stifled a laugh from the audience.  
"Just 'yes' would have sufficed," Arcturus mumbled, before picking his voice up to a yell. "You really know how to pick them, don't you, Sirius?"  
Sirius cowered slightly in his seat.  
"Fourth: do you aver to be loyal to the court above all others?"  
Kai looked to Sirius with extreme annoyance for having hidden the fourth condition.  
"Yes, I do."  
"If there are any objections, let us hear them now," the bear announced to the entire audience. No one spoke up. "Then by the will of the Astral Court, I hereby denominate you Procyon, and admit you as a member."  
Tepid applause came from the audience, with the exception of Sirius, who clapped madly.  
"You may return," Arcturus whispered, motioning to Sirius; Kai walked slowly back to the wolf's side and retook his seat. "Now, everyone knows what needs to be done before the next meeting; if there are no more speakers, I shall declare the session adjourned."  
Everyone stood up; some began to shuffle out, some began to mingle.

"So, why didn't you mention the fourth one?" Kai asked impatiently.  
"Because I knew you would have refused if you knew in advanced; if you did, they wouldn't have accepted you."  
"Out of curiosity Sirius, what would have happened if they didn't accept your choice in protege?"  
"Oh, that. They would have killed you."  
"Lovely."

A couple of goats approached.  
"Greetings, Procyon. Sirius," One of them spoke. They both bowed their heads.  
"Pollux, Castor, long time no see," Sirius replied. "What can we do for you?"  
"We were curious as to what skills the new Procyon possessed. If we recall correctly, the last one was a senator, like you?"  
"This one's an ambassador."  
"From where?"  
"Some country in the East, God knows I can never remember. He has great political pressure, though; he already has Lionheart in his back pocket."  
"I see. Castor and I were hoping that you would pick a protege more… scientifically inclined, but I suppose the Court does need its politicians."  
"I am knowledgeable in science," Kai piped up.  
"I'm sorry," Sirius explained, "He can't seem to get the concept of 'speak only when spoken to' down."  
Pollux laughed.  
"Don't worry. But, his statement has piqued my interests: what field of science? Medicine? Physics?"  
"Everything, more or less," Kai answered.  
"Oh, really? Perhaps I can test this knowledge of yours? I work in pharmacology, specializing in narcotics; Antares and I work very closely together in the drug trade."  
"I remember he mentioned processing the sap of the opium poppy. I would advise against refining it past its natural state."  
"Why?"  
"Morphine has a high chance for physical and psychological dependence; its derivative, diacetylmorphine, is nearly impossible to take without becoming addicted. My kind called it heroin, and they would do anything, including kill, just to get the next dose. If you must release it, manufacture an opioid antagonist, preferably naloxone, first."  
"'My kind'?" Pollux queried, taking interest in Kai's terminology.  
"You know… those in my land?" Kai answered sheepishly, trying to cover up his mistake.  
"I see. Well, I suppose I could do more clinical trials before we release to the streets. I find it interesting, however, that you would have such a chemical before we would. We're still perfecting a procedure that produces a pure chemical with no byproduct.  
"Boil the anhydrous alkaloid with acetic anhydride, it's not a hard procedure."  
The goat was taken aback.  
"It's… it's that simple?"  
"I may as well just give it to you so you don't kill anyone in your lab tests. However, if you really want a harmless street drug, try tetrahydrocannabinol."  
"We already implemented it."  
"LSD?"  
"And that is?"  
"Ergot fungus derivative, lysergic acid diethylamide. Hallucinogenic, not highly addictive,-"  
"Well, I'd love to keep the conversation going, but perhaps tomorrow?" Sirius interrupted.  
"Right when we got to the good part. You sure know how to ruin the fun, don't you Sirius," Pollux spoke with an amused tone.  
"Love you too, Pollux."

The duo walked back through the atrium doors to the lobby.  
"Well?" the wolf inquired, seeing that his protege was quiet.  
"Well what? What do you expect me to say?" Kai retorted.  
"You aren't amazed, not even in the slightest?"  
"Should I be?"  
Sirius was dumbfounded, but shrugged, turning to face the concierge.  
"Two rooms, if you could. Adjacent, preferably," he spoke.  
"We're a little tight on space tonight. Sorry, Sirius."  
"Why would we need two, anyways?" Kai inquired.  
"It's getting a little late to leave, and I want to make sure you don't ditch us," Sirius explained. "Three proteges makes one cautious, if you will."  
"We can share, then."  
"There's only one bed..."  
"I can sleep on the floor."  
"Fine. One room, please."  
The goat reached to the back wall and tossed them a set of keys. Sirius caught them, gave an appreciative wave, and began walking off through a different hall, beckoning for Kai to follow. They walked around the winding halls, climbed a flight of stairs, found their room, and entered.  
"Alright, explain yourself," Sirius demanded.  
"Excuse me?"  
"How do you know about humans?"  
"I beg your pardon. I have no idea what you're talking about."  
"You knew about Atlas, you said 'my kind'. You always refer to yourself as one. You were raised by them, weren't you? It's the only plausible explanation!" Sirius accused.  
"That's not inaccurate."  
Sirius chuckled.  
"I knew it! Tell me about them."  
"Maybe later."  
"But-!"  
"It's not an arguing point. If I feel like it, I will tell you later."  
Sirius looked defeated, and shambled to the back of the room.  
"Fine. I'm holding you to that, though. Feel free to pick out the patch of floor you want, I'm taking a shower." He loosened his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that Kai was still glaring at him.  
"You do know that 'shower' implies undressing, right?"  
"Is that a problem?"  
Sirius produced a quizzical look.  
"Well... yeah, I don't exactly enjoy being stared at, by other males no less."  
"Live with it. You wanted me to spend the night, I do so on my terms." He grinned, but his expression was hidden behind the mask. "And making you uncomfortable is part of them."  
Sirius sighed, before dropping the rest of his clothes into a pile on the floor and entering the shower stall.  
"I see you still can't be reasoned with," he spoke. "But really, if you had any sense of decency you would look the other way."  
Kai chuckled, and walked out onto the balcony. While the wolf was preoccupied, he took the time to swap out his mask and turn on his disguise. He stared at the moon reflecting over the lake when he heard a loud yell followed by a hacking cough, and then a thud behind him. He rushed back into the room to find blood speckled across the shower stall, water seeping onto the floor, and Sirius collapsed face down, gasping for air.  
"Is this that disease you were telling me about?" Kai asked, staring at the small drops of blood slowly mingling with the water, trickling down the walls of the shower stall.  
Sirius wheezed fiercely, before clearing his throat and turning over to look at the ceiling.  
"I really hoped this wouldn't happen while you were here."  
"How often?"  
"Four times a week."  
"A vain hope, I'm afraid. Surely there's medicine you can take?"  
"No." They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. "Help me up?"  
Kai walked over and grabbed him under his arms, picking him back up.  
"Thanks."  
"Out of curiosity, you could have stood on your own, right?"  
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't have gotten wet," the wolf responded, smirking lightly.  
"Surely I won't have to just follow you, picking you up every day or two?"  
"No. Tomorrow, you're coming with me to the senate building. I could use some company while I'm filling out paperwork."  
"I'm not a 'company' type of guy."  
"Heh, 'guy'. You should refrain from using the wrong language in public. It could bring me a lot of trouble."  
"Live with it."  
"Just for that remark, I'm going to have you do a few chores for me."  
"I'll watch you do your chores, but I'm not going to do them for you."  
"Good enough for me. You'd better go to bed. We have to get up bright and early tomorrow."  
"Lucky for you, I'm an early bird."  
Sirius turned off the flow of water and shook himself off, before taking the towel from the nearby rack and patting himself dry. He grabbed some nightwear from the closet, put it on, and sat in the bed.  
"You can stop staring at any time," Sirius reminded.  
"Someone has to make sure you don't die."  
Sirius laughed, coughing in the middle.  
"Good night." He turned the lights off and buried his face in the pillows. Not long after, he began to snore. Kai walked over to the armchair in the corner, sat down, and began waiting.

* * *

 **Edit: This is an old A/N, but I'm keeping it for posterity.**

 **A/N: Damn I'm tired. It's 3:20 am and I have an exam at 9 am. Who needs sleep, anyways? I tried to proofread, but I probably missed some words. At this point, I'm just crossing my fingers and praying for the best.**

 **Sorry for the short chapter, by the way. I wanted to cut it off at the logical point, and if I kept going, it would have gone on for far too long. Besides, aren't these frequent releases really nice?**

 **By the way I totally invented Cynewulf disease. Consumption is the old name for tuberculosis, so I just got creative with the name.  
**

 **I'd also like to take a moment to mention just how fucked up the numbering is. Right now, I only have one story in my documents: this one. This is document #38, chapter #21, but I'm going to publish it as XVIII, #18. Trying to make sure I click on the right document is harder than it ever needs to be.**

* * *

 **Reader submitted fun fact:** **You have a 0.0000625% chance of getting hit by an meteor, over 18,000 times more likely than hitting the Powerball jackpot, according to a 2014 study by the University of Tulane.  
** I looked this up, some other study says 1/700,000 lifetime odds of being struck by a meteor, and 1/175,000,000 chance of winning the Powerball jackpot. That would make it roughly .000001425% and 250x more likely, but maybe they used other metrics to get their numbers.

 **Fun Fact #8: Boiling anhydrous morphine alkaloid with acetic anhydride for several hours really is how you make heroin. Thankfully, this is allowed to be public knowledge because the first chemical is heavily regulated.**

 **Fun Fact #9: There exists a chemical, perfluorodecalin, which is extremely good at dissolving oxygen (49 mL of oxygen can be dissolved into 100 mL of liquid). It's so good at this in fact, that it's impossible to drown someone in a saturated solution. Scientists tried unsuccessfully to drown a mouse for an hour, but its lung were capable of extracting the oxygen from the solution; however, given enough time, if you don't replenish the oxygen, it will eventually be depleted. Perfluorodecalin's current use is in blood substitute.**


	21. Chapter XVII and a Half

**Six Hours Later**

Sirius opened his eyes and slowly sat up, looked around, and yawned very widely.  
"You're finally awake," Kai remarked, prompting Sirius to jump.  
"Were you up all night just staring at me?!"  
"Maybe. Maybe not. What's the difference?"  
"It's all the difference, it's creepy! Besides, why didn't you sleep?"  
"I don't sleep in the company of strangers. It's a trust thing."  
"It's not like I'm going to hurt you."  
"That's besides the point, you said we had to be at the senate building early in the morning."  
"What? No, I said we needed to _wake up_ early."  
"What the hell are we doing instead of writing laws?"  
"Like I said, chores. First I need to pick up my dry cleaning, then attend a charity function for the youth hospital, deal with some personal business, and finally go work at the senate building."  
"What a meaningless schedule."  
"Most of them are just public appearances. The crowd loves me when I go to events, especially when it involves charity fundraisers."  
"You don't have a strict work schedule?"  
"No, it's mostly just a 'show up when you can and get your work done on time' thing."  
"You must not have a lot of work if you have so much free time."  
"Last night was an exception, but I usually spend hours into the night filling out paperwork."  
"Sounds miserable."  
"You get used to it eventually. Come on, get ready. Dress formal, if you have it."  
"Is what I'm wearing good enough?"  
"You're not going to wash up or change?"  
"Would you like me to?"  
"Preferably, yes. I already smell like wet dog and feel disgusting, so I'm going to shower again. Go get changed. Something more modern. A good suit and tie never killed anyone."  
"And you trust me not to run off?"  
"I'd rather you run off than disgrace me at a charity event by looking like a hobo."  
"Suit yourself." Kai turned and left.  
"I'll be waiting in the lobby for you!" Sirius called, as he walked away.

Kai hurried back to his bunker, where he exchanged his regal uniform for a simple black suit and tie. He still wore his stab plates beneath the outer coat, and made sure to include several concealed weapons. Once he was sure he had everything he needed, he set out to meet with Sirius. He ended up waiting nearly thirty minutes for the wolf, and even then, Sirius was in casual wear.  
"You wanted me to wear a suit," Kai complained. "And yet, you're in sweatpants."  
"It's all at the cleaner's."  
"You don't have a single suit to wear?"  
"Nope. Come on, let's go."  
Sirius called his chauffeur once more, and the duo set out towards the city.  
"Now Procyon, it's only fair that I should warn you: we might get swarmed."  
"And you don't want that?"  
"No, it wastes my time," Sirius responded, putting on a hat and sunglasses.  
"Why would you seek fame if you didn't actually want it?"  
"The Court made sure I was popular once I won the election so I could get reelected next term. Believe me when I say that mammals will know me."  
"I've been meaning to ask," Kai began. "If this society of yours is so secretive, what of your chauffeur? You seem to talk openly with him."  
"There's a clause for personal servants. They swear secrecy, and are allowed to know what they need to know."  
"I see. Where are we going first?"  
"Dry cleaning. I need a suit to attend a formal function, don't I?"

They continued along, parking parallel to the street. Sirius entered the small brick and mortar store, promptly returning with five suits.  
"You should invest in more suits," Kai recommended.  
"The system that I have works, so why would I change it?"  
While they drove to their next destination, Sirius quickly began putting on one of the suits.  
"Don't you have a home?"  
"Yes, I own a couple of places. None that we have time to visit, however."  
"When are you expected at the function?"  
The wolf checked his watch.  
"Six minutes ago."  
"And you couldn't have planned any better?"  
"I don't have to give a speech for another twenty-four, so there's no real problem. That being said, can you tie this tie?" Sirius tossed him a blue necktie that he pulled from inside of the back cushions while he buttoned up his shirt.  
"Jesus, it's filthy!" Kai protested.  
"You're supposed to hide the tie in the suit, no one will see it anyways."  
Kai groaned, removed his tie, gave it to the wolf, and tied the dirty one around his neck.  
"Thanks," Sirius remarked, looping it around his head. When he pulled the tie tight, the smaller end hung two inches lower than the larger end. "Huh, you have a small neck."  
"Fix your collar. I don't even want to be near you if you don't have the decency to look presentable at an event for dying children."  
"You mean youth."  
"I know what I meant."  
"You didn't say what mammals expect to hear. Kits, cubs, calves, pups... the collective term is 'youth'. Some mammals use 'juveniles', but no one says 'children'. You'd best do the same."  
They pulled up to a fancy hotel, where they exited the limo. They walked up the steps and entered, heading to the main ballroom. Inside, mammals left and right greeted the senator, shook his paw, and patted him on the back.  
"What are we doing here?" Kai inquired.  
"If enough senators, musicians, and athletes come, so does the money. We're getting funding for the hospital," Sirius responded.  
"But what are _we_ doing here?"  
"Between you and me," Sirius responded, lowering his voice to a near-whisper, "I'm here because it helps maintain my public image. I have quite a few ways to better spend my time."  
"As do I."  
"Don't worry, I'll give a speech, spend a couple of hours here, and we can set out."  
"What do you expect me to do?"  
"Socialize, be merry."  
"I don't socialize," Kai responded coldly.  
"There's a bar, have a drink."  
Sirius walked away and began conversing with a porcupine by the podium. Kai turned away and sat at the bar in the far corner. He ordered several shots and sat deep in thought. By his machinations, he ended up in the prime spot to control the city, but he did not yet know how he would go about it. While he was pondering, Sirius sat down next to him and drank one of his shots.  
"I didn't take you for the heavy drinking type," he commented, chuckling.  
"And I didn't take you for the chronically annoying type."  
"I finally managed to convince the mammals in charge of this event that I'm horribly busy."  
"You're going to go slack off, aren't you?"  
"No, I really am slightly busy. Come on, let's go."

The pair stood and made for the exit. Just before they reached the door, someone from the other side opened it to enter.  
"Ian!" the entering wolf announced, shaking Sirius' paw, before turning and trying to shake with Kai.  
"I don't shake," Kai spoke.  
"Who is this, Ian?"  
"Bodyguard," Sirius deflected.  
"You need protection?"  
"Yeah, some nutjob tried to attack me at my home. You can never be too careful."  
"I know what that's like," the other wolf responded, laughing. "Anyways, I should go in. It's a shame you're taking off so soon."  
"Yeah, us too. I'll see you... when?"  
"What about that thing, next week? Are you still holding that gala?"  
"Yeah, next Friday. We need to get going."  
Sirius grabbed Kai by the arm and absconded.  
"Who was that?" Kai asked. "Brother?"  
"No, why would you think that? He looks nothing like me."  
Kai opened his mouth to speak, but didn't manage to get any words out.  
"He's related to one of my coworkers. I don't like him much."  
The duo continued along the road rather than waiting at the loop of driveway out front.  
"We're walking?"  
"It's not far." Sirius sounded much sterner.  
"Are you acting tough on purpose, or is something stuck in your throat?"  
"We're not going to my official line of work."  
"So we're dealing with grade-A criminals?"  
"I hate talking with them. They're very threatening."  
Kai laughed.  
"Don't deal with what you can't stand."  
"This kind of work requires a special mindset. I just have to get into that mindset, and we'll be good."  
"So where are we heading?"  
"One of my clients asked that we meet at his home."  
"And we're walking in there blind?"  
"Of course not, do you take me for a fool? I told him we'd meet at the nearby underpass."  
"So they can kill you in the middle of nowhere?"  
"It's rather public."  
"So everyone can learn of your involvement?"  
"He's not the believable kind of mammal. Swimming in debt."  
"Yeah, why else would anyone work for you?"  
Sirius guffawed.  
"Let's just go."

They walked a dozen blocks into a small bakery. Sirius purchased a coffee, waved away several adoring fans, and began idling under the bridge with Kai.  
"And now we wait," he muttered, taking a sip. "I expected him to be here by now."  
As if on cue, three wolves walked up to them. They wore heavy coats, and lit up cigarettes.  
"Do you only do business with wolves?" Kai inquired quietly.  
"Mostly, yes. As ironic as it may sound, it actually avoids attention. Unfortunately, I only expected one wolf."  
"Is that a problem?"  
"Shouldn't be."  
"Senator," one of the wolves grunted.  
"You said you would come alone," Sirius remarked.  
"So did you," the smaller wolf responded.  
"You also said you wanted to talk. You never specified about what. Based on how inconspicuous you're dressing, however, I would assume you have another job for me."  
"I'm here to talk payment."  
"So your friends are here for... what exactly? You honestly want to extort me in public?"  
"Extort is such a harsh word. I'd much prefer to say that we asked kindly."  
"I see this going down two ways. The first is that you pay me what you promised, and the second-"  
"You never did what you agreed upon. We asked for you to dispose of Bill, not kill his entire family! How else are we supposed to file an insurance claim?"  
"The terms of the contract mentioned that you wanted him gone 'at any cost'. That cost just so happened to be something you never cared to mention as important."  
One of the wolves brandished a knife.  
"It's a good thing we never actually signed anything."  
"You'll just stab me in broad daylight?" Sirius responded, chuckling.  
"If you look real close you'll notice we're the only ones here."  
Sirius humored them and began glancing around, but his jolly expression quickly faded.  
"You wouldn't stab a senator."  
"Why not?" The wolf began wiping down and inspecting his knife.  
"You'd get the chair."  
"If they caught us. Now, what was your second option?"  
"There is no second option," Kai spoke.  
"What did you say, pup?" The wolf turned his knife on Kai.  
"Are you threatening me?"  
"So what if I am?"  
Kai lunged forward and grabbed the wolf by his face, dug his fingers into the wolf's eyes, and crushed the front of his skull, letting him topple to the ground. The other two wolves drew knives of their own.  
"I don't like being threatened."  
One of the wolves lunged; Kai grabbed him by the wrist, broke his arm, stole the knife, and stabbed him through the chest. His blood began pooling on his suit, quickly dripping onto the ground. The last wolf dropped his knife and held his paws up in defeat.  
"Do you have family?" Kai inquired of him.  
"Why does it matter?"  
"Answer the question."  
"No."  
"Then no one will miss you." He nearly gripped the wolf's neck, but the wolf cried out.  
"Wait! I do, I do!"  
"Would you rather I kill you here, or string them up like the panda's son?"  
"You're the killer! Ian, you promised he was dead! It's the only reason I gave you the job!"  
"As far as the world is concerned, I am dead."  
"Got it! You're dead! I won't tell anyone!"  
"You're right. Remind me Sirius, what do they say of dead men?"  
"I'm not certain."  
Kai rolled his eyes and sighed, before taking a silenced handgun from inside of his suit and shooting the last wolf in between his eyes. Sirius averted his eyes, but dry heaved anyways.  
"You need a stronger stomach."  
"You just... killed them in broad daylight!"  
"Which is why I suggest we get out of here." He began walking away, and Sirius quickly followed.  
"So, what? That's it? You brutally murder three wolves in broad daylight, and you have nothing to say?"  
"What do you want me to say? That I hate cleaning blood out of my boots?"  
"I feel like I can barely breathe, I didn't expect that wolves had that much blood..."  
"Do you need to sit down?"  
"Maybe for a minute."  
"Your office has ample seating. We're almost there."  
They shortly entered the senate building; along the way to his office, Sirius' breathing became more labored. By the time he managed to take a seat in his office, he was struggling for air.  
"We're safe, you can breathe now."  
"No... I can't..." Sirius fumbled over his desk for an inhaler. After using it and taking several deep breaths, he began to hack blood into his paw, falling down to the ground.  
"It seems like this is more often than just four times a week."  
"It shouldn't be happening this fast," Sirius muttered, before violently coughing again.  
Kai picked him up and set him on the bench, before leaning in to listen to his chest.  
"You're bleeding into your chest."  
"I'm not ready to die!" Sirius spoke softly, genuine fear in his voice.  
Kai took several syringes from his coat and jammed them into Sirius, before sitting the wolf upright. He grabbed the trash bin from behind the desk and gave it to him.  
"Cough as hard as you can."  
Sirius began with a light cough, but quickly hacked a large quantity of blood into the bin, clutching at his chest painfully and wailing. Kai took the bin from him and set it on the ground.  
"Deep breaths. Don't get up for a while," he advised, taking a seat behind the desk.  
"How-" Sirius began, quickly getting interrupted.  
"Deep breaths."  
"How did you fix this? The last time this happened, I was in the hospital getting looked over by Atria and her team of doctors!"  
"Hemostatic medication. It stopped the bleeding in your lungs."  
"Last I checked-" Sirius wheezed quickly, before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. "Last I checked, they only have that for external injuries."  
"Do they?"  
"You might think I'm a simple fool working a simple job, but I know my fair share of medicine. As amazing as modern medicine might be, that wasn't it."  
"Are you implying something?"  
Sirius laid on his side, taking slow but deep breaths.  
"Back when I first asked you why you used human terminology, you told me you were raised by them."  
"As I said-"  
"Yes, and I quote, 'that's not inaccurate'. The real question now is, were you raised by them because they found you, or were you raised by them because you are them?"  
"You were right. You are smarter than you look. How did you guess?"  
"It's the little things. Terminology may be terminology, but you refused to shake paws with anyone, presumably because you were worried they would figure out that your fingers had no fur. Or, perhaps, that you have five of them. Your neck is thinner than mine, which is why the tie didn't fit right. Then, when you fired your pistol, there was no noise."  
"Silenced handgun."  
"No matter how good that silencer is, there should always be noise. Then, you were worried about getting blood on your boots. Mammals don't wear boots unless they work hazardous jobs, which you clearly don't."  
"I'd say killing is a hazardous job."  
"Boots make noise, which you don't. And just now, you gave me impossible medicine."  
"So you figured it out. What's your point?"  
"There's a living human!"  
"And?"  
"Advanced science and medicine means I'm not doomed."  
"There's more to humanity than just science and medicine."  
"Those are the only parts I care about. After all, they are responsible for making you look like a wolf. A terrible impersonation, but a wolf nonetheless."  
"Men who are ignorant of the past oft repeat it."  
"I am not a man."  
"The saying still goes."  
"Speaking of sayings, what do they say of dead men?"  
"Dead men tell no tales. The one time I had a killer punchline lined up, and you failed me."  
"Yeah, bite me." He sat back up. "Now what?"  
"What do you mean?" Kai leafed through the paperwork on the desk, picked out an interesting file, and began perusing its contents.  
"Now that I know, what will happen to me?"  
"Nothing."  
"Really? You went through all that trouble to keep it a secret, and now that I've figured it out... nothing?"  
"Speaking of which, I need a better disguise."  
"So, that's it?"  
"Yep, I'll let this pass on the condition that you tell no one else."  
"About that..."  
Kai looked up and glared at the wolf.  
"Yes?" he questioned.  
"Remember Achernar?"  
"The giraffe, what about him?"  
"He lives for studying humans. Maybe you could tell him?"  
"Why?"  
"He's piecing together the past, one artifact at a time. Perhaps you could help him make sense of them?"  
"What's in it for me?"  
"I..." Sirius pondered for a moment. "The price of admission into the Court."  
Kai glared for a very long time, before eventually closing his eyes and sighing.  
"Fine. No one else."  
"Good, I'll call for a ride to the lodge."  
"Make it quick. I don't have all day."  
"What do you do with your time?"  
"I'll have you know that my work is a rather long and tedious process."  
"And your work is?"  
"That's for me to know."

Sirius made his phone call, and laid back down on the bench.  
"So, are we friends now?"  
"Are you serious?"  
Sirius groaned.  
"I hate that joke," he muttered.  
"What's in it for me if I say yes?"  
"Friendship isn't exclusively for what you can get out of it. Sometimes it's because you need a friend in the world."  
"Are you implying something?"  
"You don't act like you have any friends. If you did, you wouldn't be a lone wolf, so to speak."  
"Fine, then. I don't see why not."  
"Shake on it?" Sirius held out his paw.  
Kai stared for a long while, before eventually walking over and shaking. Nearly immediately, Sirius tried to pull away.  
"Something wrong?" Kai inquired.  
"Are you a cyborg?"  
"Technically... no."  
"Why do your paws feel like metal, then?"  
"My hands, you mean?"  
"Yeah, whatever. Why?"  
Kai removed his gauntlet; his disguise temporarily shimmered, before restoring itself.  
"I wear gloves." He shook again, and Sirius didn't pull away.  
"You have slender fingers," the wolf observed. "It's so weird that they don't have fur."  
"You can let go now."  
Instead of letting go, he continued running his fingers across the man's hand. Kai pulled away.  
"Don't we have a ride to catch?" he muttered.  
"I suppose we do. Help me up?"  
Kai picked Sirius up by the scruff of his neck.  
"Ow! What was that for?!"  
"You wanted me to pick you up, but your contract never specified how, or at what cost. It just so happens that cost might have been-"  
"Yeah, I get it."

The pair walked out into the car waiting for them. Inside, Sirius placed another call; Kai listened in as a precaution.  
"Achernar, are you at the lodge?"  
"Where else would I be?" Achernar responded.  
"Oh, have I got the surprise for you. My protege just happens to know the intricacies of human civilization."  
Kai could hear the giraffe squeal in delight.  
"How?"  
Sirius nearly responded, but Kai glared at him.  
"Didn't say," Sirius responded. "Although I would assume he studied them as well, probably before he came here as ambassador."  
"When will you be here?"  
"Don't get ahead of yourself. I'd say... twenty minutes, give or take."  
"Just make sure to get him down here when you arrive!"  
"There's a meeting, Achernar. I'm sure he would be glad to go after-"  
"Damn the meeting, Sirius! This is the greatest discovery since-"  
"And he's not going anywhere," Sirius interrupted. "We'll be there in a few."  
Sirius hung up.  
"Now," Kai began. "Don't tell him the truth, leave that to me."  
"Sure, whatever. It'll be pretty funny when he finds out."

They sat in silence until they reached the lodge, whereupon they went to Sirius' room. There, they donned their robes and masks; Kai made sure Sirius was looking the other direction when he changed his mask. Once they were dressed, they went for the main chambers. As soon as they walked in, Achernar confronted them.  
"Meeting doesn't start for another hour and a half. Come on, please indulge me!" he begged.  
"Maybe later," Kai responded. "Say, Sirius, where are those two goats from yesterday?"  
"Pollux and Castor? Why do you ask?"  
"You interrupted our conversation, and I still had yet to convince them that their current venture is a horrible idea."  
"I'm sure they'll be here soon. They like arriving at about eight, eight fifteen."  
"Excellent. Let's wait."  
Out of the corner of his eyes, Kai could see Achernar pulling at his ears in frustration.

Soon, more mammals began shuffling into the atrium. When Pollux and Castor arrived, Sirius flagged them over.  
"Sirius, what a surprise. You almost never show up on Mondays," Pollux remarked.  
"My new protege is a special occasion."  
"Ah yes, that reminds me: we never finished our discussion. Procyon, where did you study?"  
"I read a lot."  
Both goats scoffed.  
"No book has the procedure to manufacture diacetylmorphine."  
"So I made the procedure."  
They took a seat next to him.  
"You are a most intriguing wolf. You know how to create the most potent drugs, and you advise against using them."  
"Heroin isn't like morphine. They will kill for their next dose. They lose all sense of reality."  
"We appreciate everything you've done for the manufacture of this drug, but we know how to handle distribution."  
Kai sighed.  
"Do what you will. I have no further business with you, then."  
"Excuse me?"  
"I mean no disrespect. Please go find your seats. Sirius and I have private matters to discuss."  
Pollux sneered and fastened her mask, before beckoning for her protege to follow her.  
"Sirius," Kai began. "You can't let them release that drug."  
"It's equal vote, simple majority. I have no more say than the next guy. I don't think you'll have any say in the matter, since you've only recently been inducted."  
"You're a senator, if anyone's good at postponing business, it should be you."  
"Not here, I'm sorry."  
"A filibuster, anything!"  
"Things work differently here."  
"What is the process for speaking to the assembly?"  
"They don't let proteges speak."  
"Petition for it."  
"Technically you only need to second a motion before it goes to a vote, but who would vote other than me and Achernar?"  
"Just work on it."  
The meeting started, and Kai sat, deep in thought. Arcturus breezed through the agenda, and asked if anyone else had anything to bring up. Sirius raised a paw.  
"Yes, Sirius?" Arcturus inquired.  
"My protege wishes to speak."  
Everyone laughed.  
"And you know what the answer is."  
"Please, Arcturus," Kai announced. "I insist."  
"Well, let's have it then."  
"I imagine that everyone here will vote for the new drug in a couple of days. I urge that everyone reject it."  
"Who are you to come here and tell us how to do our jobs?" Pollux seethed.  
"I'm the one that gave you the formula in the first place, and I see now that it was a mistake. I promise you, heroin is far worse than any street drug you have ever pushed. Those that take it live only for the next dose. No matter how much you wish to localize crime, this drug will cause an epidemic."  
"Pollux is right, we have experience with these matters," Arcturus interjected. "The Court has been regulating every aspect of the city since before you were born."  
Kai stood, tossed two vials from his vest to the grizzly, and began walking up the stairs.  
"What are these?"  
"In case this bites you in the ass, which it will, here's the antidote for when heroin junkies inevitably stop breathing." Kai opened the doors.  
"Where are you going?"  
"I can see that words will not get to you. I'm not wasting anymore of my valuable time here. Sirius, I'll be waiting for you in the lobby."

He sat in the lobby for a long time. Eventually, mammals began shuffling by him, glaring at him. He received several snide remarks, but he chose to ignore them. Arcturus walked by, stopped, and grinned.  
"You have nerve, I'll give you that," he spoke, chuckling lightly. "Make sure you keep it in moderation."  
As Arcturus walked away, Sirius took a seat on the armchair next to Kai.  
"Are we ready to go?" Kai inquired.  
"I got into a lot of trouble for what you did in there."  
"They're all fools, plain and simple. Why would I waste my time trying to convince animals that what they're doing is wrong? It's senseless."  
"I'm pretty mad, but I will admit, that's the first time I've ever seen anyone ridicule Arcturus openly, and then walk out." He chuckled. "Oh well. I think Achernar is waiting for us. Ready to work some magic?"  
"Let's go."


	22. Chapter XVIII: Pre-existing Knowledge

Sirius and Kai walked over to where Achernar was standing.  
"Ready to have your mind blown, Achernar?" Sirius inquired.  
Achernar nodded greedily.  
The trio boarded an elevator tucked in the far corner of the building; Achernar had to duck to fit, as it was clearly not designed for mammals as tall as him. He put in a key and hit the very bottom button, and the lift began to descend fairly quickly. The air grew cold and began to smell musty as they went lower into the complex.

Eventually, the carriage stopped, and the doors opened to reveal a very wide, voluminous warehouse; various books and journals lined row after endless row of bookshelves, what seemed to Kai like junk occupied pedestals in various places, and large racks of artifacts went as far as the eye could see. As they exited, Achernar hit his head on the roof of the elevator car, much to Sirius' amusement.  
"I'm practically the only one who goes here, I spend ninety percent of my time here, and they can't bother to make a bigger elevator or install stairs," he grumbled.  
"Hey, you could always make a motion when we have a meeting," Sirius suggested.  
"City over the individual, Sirius," Achernar replied absentmindedly, as if he had this conversation memorized from months of repetition.  
"Well Procyon, while Mr. Head-in-the-Clouds here complains about being too tall, I would like to introduce you to the archives. Achernar practically lives here, except when he goes to see the new acquisitions from dig sites."  
"What could possibly be of such great interest here? All I see are books and junk," Kai retorted.  
Achernar took great insult at the statement.  
"Where you see junk, I see relics of the past. The _ancient_ past. The time before Zootopia. I thought you of all mammals would appreciate it for what it is."  
They walked for a very long time, nearly to the end of the storage area. There, encased in glass, was a wax figure of a man dressed in a silk suit; barefoot, of course, and with several other oddities on display.  
"This is my greatest pride and joy: a fully reconstructed hominid, _homo sapiens sapiens_ , the human! To my knowledge, no one else has as much information as down here, unless you would care to shed some light?"  
"Educate me. Give me the full tour, pretend I know nothing."  
"As I'm sure you already know, they walked the Earth long before we did, and everything in this 'museum' of sorts are artifacts of their time."  
"Where are his shoes?"  
"Shoes?"  
"He hasn't got anything on his feet."  
"Should he?"  
"Of course. Humans don't enjoy walking without comfortable footwear."  
Achernar appeared befuddled and glanced at Sirius before moving on.

They walked to the bookshelves.  
"I spend most of my time here trying to piece it all together; if you spend time observing these relics, you may notice that our society and theirs have enormous similarities: this is because the Court has tried to follow their path. Sometimes, however, piecing it all together can be very… difficult. Take these books, for example. Some of them, written in the common tongue, I can read easily. Still, some of the alliterations and figures of speech escape me, and so I must make do with what I can understand instead of what I cannot. This one in particular… to be honest, I have no clue if the author was high on drugs when he wrote it." He picked up a rather small book, leafed through it, and handed it to Kai who, upon looking at the title, burst out laughing.  
"The Fox in Socks, by Dr. Seuss?" he began.  
"Sounds ridiculous, no?" the giraffe responded.  
"It's a child's book, intended to teach rhyme. It was never supposed to make sense."  
"Oh? And where did you learn this?"  
"Never mind that, continue with what you were saying before."  
He replaced the book on the shelf.  
"Other books are written in a dead language; some of the Court spoke it about a thousand and a half years ago, but it has since died off. I have the alphabet, and some of the grammar rules, but most of the meanings of the words escape me." Achernar then wandered several paces, grabbed a second book off of the shelf, and gave it to Kai.  
" _Voyna I Mir_ , Leo Tolstoy. War and Peace, one of his finest literary works."  
"Wait, you know the language?" Sirius interjected.  
"I don't know what impresses me more, that he knows the author or that he can read the script," Achernar agreed.

"When I came here, I was wondering where these relics were being kept," Kai spoke, motioning to the atrium around him. "You've been hoarding them down here; why?"  
"I've been told that you already knew the Truth. How much of it, I have yet to guess."  
"Of course I knew. Why are you hiding this knowledge?"  
"Well, imagine this," Achernar elaborated. "Fifty-some odd years ago, we sent the first mammal into space. What do you think we would find except scrap metal already there? And again, the first mammal on the moon. He found-"  
"Let me guess, a flag, probably bleached white from solar radiation? Perhaps bootprints as well?"  
"That was the greatest find of the century, top secret! How do you know all this?"  
"I was taught it by my tutors, read it in books. Those bootprints, that flag; Neil Armstrong, July 20th, 1969 AD, perhaps two-thousand, eight-hundred and thirty-one years ago."  
"We just figured that out last month, how could you possibly-!" Achernar replied, astonished. Sirius began to laugh.  
"You're really cute when you get outmatched, Achernar," Sirius spoke, hint of excitement in his voice. "He had tutors."  
"But that's impossible, they've been almost extinct for at least two hundred years before the Court was founded! To the best of our knowledge, the last one died shortly after the Court was founded!" Achernar retorted. "Well, in any case, if the rest of the world found out that a species that has been extinct for two thousand years had been to space, what would they think?"  
"I think they would like to know more," Kai responded.  
"And then they would find out that we already knew about their existence. We didn't know how advanced they were until our expedition into space, but we knew nonetheless."  
"Why not tell them before you knew how advanced they were?"  
"We thought it would be in their best interests to follow humanity's example unknowingly."  
Kai scoffed.  
"I don't think humanity would be particularly fond of the idea."  
"And, how do you know what they would or would not be fond of?"  
Kai looked them up and down.  
"You don't look like you could keep a secret." He wandered down the bookshelf, before taking a text from the wall and opening it up. "You even have Beowulf, I'm impressed. How expansive is your collection of books?".  
"What?" the duo asked in unison, before approaching.  
"How can you read that, it matches no known language. Nothing from this shelf on to the wall does, either." Achernar said.  
"It's Old English, written in Nordic Rune."  
"Old… English?"  
"What language are we speaking now?"  
"Common."  
"Old that, then."  
"How old?"  
"Well, it gave to Middle English around 1300 AD, Nordic Runes gave to the Latin alphabet before then, so… three thousand five hundred, give or take a century?"  
They said nothing, merely stood and stared; Kai closed the text and returned it to the wall.

"Tell me, you must really worship man to model mammal society in their wake. What would you do if one came to your doorstep?"  
"We don't worship them, merely take interest in their ability to form such a capable society. And… Well..." Achernar answered, glancing at Sirius again. "We don't know. We don't expect an extinct race to suddenly up and show at our threshold."  
"I understand, but theoretically, what next?"  
"Well…we would invite them to sit on our council."  
"Even though they might be unqualified?"  
"Think! The first human ever seen by our society; at that point, it would just be honorary even if they turned out to be incapable," Achernar elaborated. "You know a lot of them; tell me, have you heard of General Jin-Roh, the legendary 'Wolf of the East'? Supposedly lived and died near the end of the species. I read numerous accounts of his exploits, and if the human that showed up was even half the man that Jin-Roh was, we would have nothing to worry about."  
"Jin-Roh, the Wolf of the East… How long has it been since I've heard that name..." Kai muttered.  
"They say he was called a wolf because he had a particular wit about him, perhaps because he and his troops stuck together like a pack."  
"No, it's because Jin-Roh means 'Man-Wolf'. They try to justify it by calling the wolf a 'noble mammal', but Jin wasn't an exceptional general by any means. He had my respect, but he was no Gengis Khan. Tell me, know you of the general who defeated him in Kyoto in the year 2243 AD, despite being outnumbered four to one? Negotiated an unconditional surrender, and even then had the grace to let Jin-Roh's captured men go."  
"Of everything we have… that part was fragmented. Apparently, the general only ever initialed his or her name or used a codeword, so all we have to identify them as is 'G.S.' or 'Kai'."  
"Wait, you were named for him, weren't you?!" Sirius interrupted.  
"Something like that; and of their character? What do you know of his personality, Achernar?"  
"His early life is a mystery to us, but in his later life, he was very methodical, if the records are accurate at all. Would do anything to get victory, but would always achieve it. His military exploits end but five years after that victory, if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps he died?"  
"No. Relegated to… less important matters," Kai answered bitterly.  
"Did he disgrace himself?"  
"No, but his superiors thought it apt to pull him to be a bodyguard."  
"I wonder what he would think if he saw us here today, discussing him like this..."  
"I imagine he would feel bitter disappointment that he wasn't better remembered."  
"Well, since you already know more than I can tell you, we should probably return," Achernar spoke quietly, his voice laced with disappointment.  
"Agreed, I'm sure Procyon and I can get some work done in the city," Sirius stated.

"I'm curious," Kai mentioned as they began to head back to the elevator. "How do you think humanity died out?"  
"Well, soil analysis reveals numerous radioactive isotopes and materials uncommon to Earth, so our prevailing theory is that an asteroid struck and caused an extinction event," Achernar responded.  
Kai laughed.  
"Nope."  
"But how could it be anything else? An analysis of everything we have indicates that they were wiped out by a large asteroid. Soil samples were consistent with those found in meteors, heavy metals strewn across the land."  
"And yet the heavy metals are denser around their settlements. Why?"  
"Agriculture, they would have brought soils in from abroad."  
"It's a good theory, albeit incorrect."  
"And how are you so certain?" Achernar asked.  
"Intuition."

"What do you think, Procyon? Should we tell him?" Sirius began.  
"Tell me what?" the giraffe asked, puzzled.  
"Give him hints. See how long it takes," Kai affirmed.  
"Alright, Achernar. Take a good long look at him."  
"Why?"  
"He looks odd, doesn't he?"  
"Eastern wolves are known to have differing bone structure."  
"Given how much he knows, how he spoke of his 'tutors'..."  
"You were raised by them?!" Achernar exclaimed in sudden revelation. "I thought Sirius was pulling my leg!"  
"The real question is, why was he raised by them?"  
"He could have been found as a pup, and they took him in. But where?"  
"There are two possibilities, Achernar. The first is that he was raised by them. What's the second?"  
"That he is one; Sirius, you know that's impossible. Humans died out many eons ago. Give the wolf a break, he's probably just reluctant to speak about his past."  
"You can't be this stupid," Kai spoke.  
"I am making the most logical assumptions. Why would I be stupid?"  
"Simple test: have him take his mask off," Sirius offered.  
"I walked in a wolf, why would I not walk out one?" Kai asked.  
The color seemed to drain from Sirius' face.  
"It's a disguise, don't confuse the poor giraffe! Besides, even a fool could notice that you came in with an eyepatch and a blue eye, and now you have two green eyes."  
"Why are you so excited about your theory?" Achernar asked.  
"Because then my illness isn't a death sentence."  
"I understand that, but still: your evidence is very circumstantial."  
"Actually, I have proof. Achernar, remember that poison that Antares gave me several days ago?"  
"Yeah. Why?"  
"He told me that it would kill anything with hooves, all canids, all felids, most rodents, and a handful of other mammals nearly instantly."  
"Your point being?"  
"The dart hit Procyon in the neck, and it did naught but momentarily stagger him."  
"Perhaps Antares was mistaken? Perhaps the ambassador, being a wolf from the East, would have a different physiology?"  
"No; Antares never makes mistakes, you know that. You can count, right?"  
"Of course I can count!" Achernar replied, insulted.  
"Well then. Count." Sirius wiggled his fingers.  
"Four, what's your point?"  
Sirius walked over and rolled up Kai's sleeve.  
"Count."  
"Five? Why do they look like that?"  
"Because that's not really a paw."  
"Now Sirius has piqued my interests as well. No paw has five fingers."  
"Finally, you get it!" Sirius exclaimed.  
"A... a living human..." Achernar mused. "What would the Court think-"  
"Don't tell anyone."  
"But they have to know!"  
"If I decide that they should know," Kai warned, "I will tell them myself."  
"Oh come on, Procyon, give the long-neck his moment," Sirius responded. "He's lived his whole life for this. Give him this one pleasure."

Kai thought for a moment.  
"What do you want, then?"  
"Well, consider several conditions your price of admission," Sirius demanded, firmly yet gently.  
"This wasn't the deal."  
"It's a good thing we didn't sign a contract."  
"You realize that if these conditions are outrageous, it would be easier for me to kill you, abscond, and take on a different identity."  
"Of course; no, these conditions aren't hard to manage."  
"Spit them out then."  
Achernar and Sirius turned to silently converse for a moment.  
"You haven't even come up with them yet, have you?" Kai asked impatiently.  
"Give us a minute. An opportunity like this is rarer than a blue moon, and we'd hate to make a mistake in our haste."  
Kai rolled his eyes.

After some time had passed, they finally turned to face him.  
"We have four conditions."  
Kai groaned.  
"First: you answer any questions we ask."  
"Fine. The other three?"  
"Second, which was the original deal: you help Achernar make sense of the relics down here."  
"I should just kill you now. There are at least a thousand shelves full of shit in this room. When you said 'a few relics', I assumed you meant no more than a hundred."  
"You'll breeze through it, I'm sure."  
"I'll consider it. Third?"  
"You show your face."  
"Maybe. Fourth?"  
"You cure me."  
"No guarantees, but I can try."  
"W… what?"  
"I said I can try."  
"What do you mean, no guarantees? Your medicine earlier made me feel great!"  
"I still don't know what you have, what mechanism of action the disease takes, a full list of symptoms, or if there's even an analogue to a human disease in any of my medical texts. For all I know, it could be an animal-specific illness that evolved in the last thousand years, in which case I can try to cure you, but chances are I would only prolong your life by another ten years."  
Sirius looked defeated, and Achernar tried to console him, but to no avail.  
"You won't know until you try," Sirius proclaimed. "I'll have Antares and Regulus print out their data for you, everything they've done so far."  
"At least you're thinking on the bright side," Kai responded.

"Well, in light of this stunning revelation, I think we can afford to stay down here a little longer," Achernar eventually stated, walking away from the elevator.  
"What for?" Kai asked irritably.  
"Well, so you can help me figure this all out."  
"If you give me five hours, I'll get a universal lexicon; every language that could possibly be on those shelves would be in that book. As for the rest of this junk..." He looked around. "That might take a while."  
"How long?"  
"A week."  
"Only a week?! But there are thousands of-"  
"I work fast. Just tell me what you need cataloged: for example, item number, item name, item use, et cetera, and I can make you a list."  
"Very well, I'll get you started on that in a bit, but first..."  
"You want to ask some questions?"  
"Of course."

They made their way to a desk, presumably Achernar's; Kai was offered a seat, but he declined.  
"Now, who are you?" Achernar asked.  
"Broad question, as usual."  
"Well, let's start with the basics. Your name?"  
"Kai."  
"No doubt named after the general you described to us?"  
"I am he."  
At this point, Sirius and Achernar chuckled.  
"No, really. You're named after the general, but do you have a surname?"  
"You don't seem to understand. We are one and the same."  
This time, they both laughed.  
"Alright, whatever you say. Born?"  
"New Year's Day, 2183 AD."  
"AD of which calendar system?"  
"Julian. I presume you already know it, seeing as your months are the same."  
"But… that would make you over two thousand years old."  
"And?"  
"You can't possibly be that old."  
"In the last hundred years, Zootopian society went from 'dying from infection from papercut' to 'surviving multiple bullet wounds'. Is it really so unbelievable that in the next three hundred, you could master negligible senescence?"  
"You… really are the general Kai, aren't you?"  
"More of an assassin-bodyguard extraordinaire, and I daresay I'm bitterly disappointed you remember Jin-Roh over me."  
"You took offense to that?"  
Kai laughed.  
"Yes. Next question."  
"What are you wearing on your paws?"  
"My hands?"  
"Ah yes, I forgot the proper terminology, excuse me. So what are those?" Achernar motioned for Kai's hand, and the latter gave it forth. Achernar ran his hoof over the gauntlet, inspecting its every detail.  
"Claws."  
"Why?"  
"Sirius has claws, why not ask him what he uses them for."  
"Procyon, wolves haven't used their claws since the dark ages. Now, we trim them short and keep them dull. At least, those of us that are civilized do," Sirius responded.  
"Then I suppose I am uncivilized."  
"Again, why?" Achernar pressed.  
"Scaling walls, although now mostly for combat."  
"You fight a lot?"  
"It's best not to ask that, Achernar," Sirius interrupted, putting a paw on his stomach, as if he were afraid to vomit.  
"Very well. Would you remove your mask for us?"  
"You already have accurate renditions of human faces, why?"  
"Curiosity; this is the rarest opportunity to study, and I mean no offense when I say this, an endangered species."  
"As long as you don't touch my face." Kai undid the strap at the back of the mask, and pulled it off, before lowering his hood. The pair stared in awe for a long time before Achernar finally spoke.  
"Three cuts running from your brow to your jaw… what happened?"  
"Let's just say I prefer not to take my masks off for this exact reason."  
"Masks, plural?"  
Kai fished out the titanium mask from beneath his robes, handing it to the giraffe. Achernar tapped the surface and attempted to scratch it, but could not.  
"Very sturdy. What is it?" he asked.  
"An old war relic."  
"What does it do?"  
"Bulletproof, filters gas, advanced display; an assassin's best friend."  
"But… you are not really an assassin, are you? Surely you were joking?"  
"Stay away from asking questions like that, unless you want barf everywhere," Sirius warned sternly. Achernar rolled his eyes.  
"Next question: you say you walked in a wolf, and Sirius agreed?"  
Kai activated the device on his belt, and his visage changed into that of a wolf.  
"Extraordinary," Achernar enunciated slowly, reaching for the newly formed snout.  
"Don't reach too far," Kai warned.  
Achernar instead waved his hooves through the snout and back again, entranced by the shadows dancing across his fingertips.  
"How does it work?"  
"Not exactly sure," Kai responded. "But when I fix it, it should in theory let me take on the appearance of any similarly sized mammal."  
"I would never have guessed that your technology could be this advanced..."

"Well, I didn't actually eat anything since lunch, so I'll let you two keep going at it; fill me in later," Sirius spoke nonchalantly.  
"You're telling me," Kai retorted. "You tempted me with poisoned chicken; I haven't eaten real food in a week."  
"Oh, that reminds me!" Achernar stated suddenly. "What do humans eat?"  
"Anything. Sirius, can you bring some food down here when you return?"  
"What do you think I am? A walking Bug-Burga? Go get your own food," Sirius snapped back, before stopping in his tracks. "Wait, you haven't eaten _real food_ in a week? What the hell were you eating?"  
"Ration bars. They taste like shit and their consistency is gritty, but they get the job done."  
"How awful, simply dreadful!" Sirius mocked.  
"Are you serious, Sirius?" Kai mocked back.  
"I _hate_ that pun!" Sirius yelled, before storming off.

"Wow, I thought he got mad when I made that joke," Achernar said, laughing. "But I'm genuinely curious, when I read through some texts, I encountered words like 'mutton', 'venison', 'veal', ' _mignon_ ', and the likes, in addition to chicken and fish. Are those some other animals that, perhaps, are extinct now?"  
"Mutton is sheep meat, venison is deer meat, veal is calf meat, and _mignon_ literally means 'small or dainty', but in context of food, probably refers to _filet mignon_ , or a special cut of cow."  
A look of horror spread across Achernar's face.  
"Surely… you didn't eat these? Perhaps this was the cuisine of barbarians?"  
"No, these were regular meats that nearly everyone ate, in addition to poultry and seafood. Exotic meats would include dog, lion, raccoon, otter, bear, armadillo, beaver, bison, bobcat, kangaroo, horse, crocodile, giraffe-"  
"I get your point," Achernar interrupted. "Perhaps you could tell me about… non-meat foods?"  
"Actually, I would kill for a good steak right now; now that I think about it, I haven't had good lamb in two thousand years either. Perhaps a fine calf's liver..." Kai muttered, hand on chin, staring at the ceiling. Achernar wheeled his chair back a noticeable amount, before reiterating his question.  
"Could you tell me about non-meat foods?"  
"Most plants, leafy vegetables, grains, cereals; desserts included chocolate, cake, ice creams, fruits, and various other confections."  
"I understood everything except ice cream."  
"A frozen dessert, made by cold churning milk and cream with sugar and flavorings such that it does not form large ice crystals."  
"You consume milk past infancy?"  
"Mostly cow's milk."  
"Why would they let you?"  
"They didn't, mostly because they weren't capable of choice. Complex intelligence was a purely human construct until we made you."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The only reason you can think or dream is because we designed you to be that way. Our scientists spliced human genes into mammals with the hopes that they could cultivate human organs without the need for a human donor. Of course, that never happened, but the by-product of their meddling was intelligent mammals."  
"You mean, in your time-"  
"Mammals were nothing more to us than fish are to you now: unintelligent, good as housepets, and tasty."  
"But, numerous books mention talking mammals! They-"  
"Nothing but fairy tales."  
Achernar felt crushed.

"Hey, cheer up," Kai spoke, heading to the elevator with Achernar close behind. "At least you aren't the last of your nearly extinct species."  
"What… What do you mean? Surely if you lived this long, there have to be more!"  
Kai shook his head.  
"Fourteen billion."  
"Fourteen billion what?"  
"There used to be that many of us."  
"Fourteen billion doesn't sound like a large number for such a prosperous species. This city alone has three billion."  
"Yes, but for one species: think, how many giraffes are in the city?"  
"About fifty million, why?"  
"Hardly the population of a mid-sized human town."  
"Well, there are more giraffes than just in Zootopia."  
"Yes, but more than fourteen billion?"  
"… No."  
"Well, two humans were far enough below ground to survive; you're looking at one, and the other is long dead."  
"Surely there had to be more than just your bunker?"  
"You do realize that I wish I was mistaken, right?"  
Kai called the elevator, and soon the doors opened.  
"Wait! Where are you going?"  
"To get that lexicon. You still want help cataloging, don't you?"  
The giraffe nodded slightly, and Kai disappeared into the elevator.

* * *

 **Three Days Later  
Wednesday  
2 AM**

Sirius came down to check the progress of the two; as far as he could tell, they had locked themselves in and worked non-stop, except when he brought food down for them. He was astonished at the progress they had made up to this point, and every time he checked, they had always progressed farther than he had anticipated.  
"Item number twelve-thousand nine-hundred sixty-one," Kai read off of the item's label, narrating for the small audio recorder that Achernar had given him. "Appears to be some sort of silicon die for a computer part; if I had to guess, a motherboard for an early two-thousands computer due to the chip size, company name, and slightly worn last two digits of copyright year."  
"Hey, Procyon," Sirius interrupted; Kai paused the recording and diverted his attention to the wolf holding food. "Do you ever sleep?"  
"Sometimes."  
"You're almost at thirteen thousand; that leaves you with what, twenty seconds per item, working non-stop?"  
"Something like that. Most of this stuff is easily identifiable, I may yet finish in the next two days."  
"Where's Achernar?"  
"Sleeping at his desk."  
"Wow, I've never seen him sleep," Sirius responded, staring intently. "Does he always rest his head on his back?"  
"Yes."  
"Huh, it's kind of silly. Well, you two didn't miss much at the meeting. Maybe thirty of us showed up to begin with, and there were only three orders of business."  
"What were they?"  
"Moving some police around to Tundratown, whether or not to proceed with distributing the new drug amidst your claims, and moving the remaining military out of the city."  
"Good God, are they still arguing about making heroin?"  
"We put it to a vote, they agreed to continue by overwhelming majority. I voted no, for the record. They're set to put it out tomorrow."  
"Animals," Kai muttered.  
Sirius set the platter of food down, which consisted of chicken and an unidentifiable side: the same meal he had brought nine times prior, which was also the same meal he had offered in his senate office.  
"So, what is this stuff for the most part?" he asked, motioning to the cataloged artifacts.  
"Like I predicted, mostly junk, although occasionally something useful. I did find a somehow functional electric razor, by sheer chance."  
"Which is?"  
"For shaving."  
"Like, cutting fur?"  
"Down to the skin."  
"Why?"  
"We don't really have fur, so we trim down some of our hair for a more uniform look."  
"I see." With that, Sirius began to walk away, talking over his shoulder. "Well, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, ask Achernar, he knows my number."

* * *

 **Thursday  
Noon**

Kai could hear the elevator doors opening.  
"Sirius, I swear, if you brought me chicken again, I'll tear your haunch off and eat it instead," he yelled in jest.  
Hearty chuckling resounded from the bear that exited the elevator.  
"I'm not Sirius, but I'm amused that this is what you've been up to."  
"Arcturus, what a pleasant surprise," Kai responded, relieved to see someone other than Achernar or Sirius. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"  
"I'm curious about how the newbie knows more about what's down here than our top historian."  
"Intuition."  
"I see. Well, I would leave you to it, but Sirius has been happy the past four days. He's never happy. What did you do?"  
"He may yet live to have grandchildren; that all depends, of course, on when Regulus and Antares feel like giving me their data."  
"So you're not only the better historian, but a better doctor, too?"  
"I'm a Jack of all trades."  
"Wonderful, you may yet prove to be useful."  
The bear removed his mask and took a seat on one of the chairs nearby.  
"That's not all I came down to say. I thought you might want to know that we started distribution of the new drug; I know you're against it, but believe me, we know what we're doing."  
"Don't complain when it bites you in the ass."  
"Noted, but you have nothing to worry about; I brought my protege in to oversee things, to make sure they're done right."  
"Speaking of which: Sirius mentioned that he had a strong distaste for your protege; why?"  
Arcturus gave a long, drawn out sigh.  
"To be honest, I don't know. Maybe because I'm a bear, taking in a lion; that's my best guess, at least. I'm sure he's told you, but seats in the Court tend to go through family, and as such stay within species."  
"Tell me about him. Your protege, I mean."  
"Well, it's a long story."  
"I'm two days ahead of schedule, I have time."

"Where to begin… Once upon a time there was a lioness; the nicest, most beautiful lioness I ever laid my eyes on. Her husband died shortly after their first kitten was born, and she was alone when we first met. So, I decided to console her and her son. Took them in when the courts foreclosed on them, cared for them-"  
"Where are you taking this?"  
"I'm getting there, let an old bear reminisce. We couldn't marry, since city law prohibited interspecies marriage, but it didn't matter to us; we were content just being together. So, on the day I was to be promoted to general, she was driving her son to the ceremony when a truck ran a red light and plowed into them. The driver suffered a heart attack, according to the coroner, but we'll never know for sure. She was thrown twenty feet from the car, but the kitten made it against all odds. After that day… well… he started getting into trouble, but I couldn't blame him, being an orphan and all. I took him into the military, thought a career there would straighten him out."  
"Did it?"  
"Eventually, yes. Right about when he became sergeant and got troops under his command, he shaped up. Then, he started climbing ranks fast; when he put his mind to it, anything could happen. Then, about two months after he became lieutenant, I made him my protege."  
"A touching story."  
"I appreciate the sarcasm. You know you've made it as a father figure when mammals can make fun of you for it."  
"I was being sincere, but take it any way you want."  
Arcturus smiled.  
"Well, I wouldn't want to disturb you any more than I already have."  
"I'll be down here if you need me."  
"Give Achernar my thanks."  
"I will when he returns from the far shelves."  
A nod and Arcturus left.

Moments later, Achernar stumbled forth with a large cart of labeled objects.  
"You work much faster than I thought you would, I didn't think you'd be done already."  
"I still have two left; Arcturus paid a visit."  
"He didn't ask questions, did he?"  
"No, just told stories, said 'hello'."  
"Good. I wouldn't want word to get out."  
"Agreed. I'd like to keep my secret between us just a little longer."  
"By the way, Sirius called. He says the kitchen ran out of poultry."  
"Thank God, maybe he can bring some good food."

* * *

 **A/N: Wanna bet the lion's gonna be important soon? Maybe he's a familiar character, too. This is a bit of a slow chapter, but the next one should be faster-paced.**

 **It's funny, I usually put these updates out once a week on Friday nights, so I feel like I should apologize for this one being on a Saturday night, but I already put two updates out this week, on an exam week to boot.**

 **Also, I read every review; sometimes in a less-than-timely manner, but I read every one. I hope whomever made that latest review will be pleasantly surprised that I accidentally just-so-happened to write some of what he/she wanted in, since I ended up reading it three seconds after I uploaded the document.**

 **Lastly, hurray! Over fifty followers, and just shy of fifty favorites. I now feel accomplished.**

* * *

 **These ones are mostly what just came to my mind, in no specific order. The last one is particularly spooky and mind-blowing; I didn't put the mathematical proof here, but if you want it, look it up or send me a PM; I don't bite.**

 **Fun Fact #10: Did you know that eating certain animal livers, particularly polar bear and seal livers, will give you vitamin A poisoning?**

 **Fun Fact #11: Most mammals, with the exception of people, most primates, most species of bat, and a small handful of other mammals, cannot get scurvy. They produce their own vitamin C, and the exceptions listed above have since devolved the ability to do this.**

 **Fun Fact #12: If you are bitten by a rabid animal, you can get treated fairly easily with rabies immunoglobulin. However, once you start showing symptoms of rabies (which usually occurs in around four to seven days), the odds of you surviving are practically zero. The emergency treatment, called the Milwaukee Protocol, takes up to a month of being in a coma, and only 5 out of 36 people survived it to date.**

 **Fun Fact #13: LIGO detected gravitational waves in February, the source of which were two colliding black holes with masses of 36 and 29 solar masses, respectively. The end black hole had a mass of 62 solar masses. The lost 3? They were turned into an enormous amount of energy nearly instantaneously, which is how we were able to detect the gravitational waves from 1.3 billion light years away. So much power, in fact, that in that moment, the collision produced more than 50 times the power output of the rest of the stars in the observable universe.**

 **Fun Fact #14: The 'spiciest' chemical known to man, about a thousand times spicier than pure capcaisin (which is the chemical that makes chili peppers and habanero peppers spicy), is resiniferatoxin. It is toxic, such that fifty grams would kill a healthy human adult. They use diluted solutions as injections into terminally ill animals' joints to kill the nerve cells so that they don't feel pain.**

 **Fun Fact #15: Glucose, the basic sugar in most plants, has a left enantiomer, L-Glucose. Perfectly safe for diabetics because their bodies can't break it down, L-Glucose is a mild diarrhetic, and costs 50% more than gold per gram.**

 **Fun Fact #16: In any group of 23 people, the chance that two of them will share a birthday is greater than 50%.**

 **Fun Fact #17: A Gabriel's horn is a shape that has infinite surface area but finite volume, meaning you could fill it with paint, but you could never paint the inside.**


	23. Chapter XIX: Drug Bust

**Thursday  
9 PM**

Sirius was browsing the shelves as Achernar was busy hauling items back and forth for Kai to identify. He was mostly looking over the titles waiting for the other two to finish, until he found one that caught his eye: _Caring for_ _your Canine_. He began to leaf through the pages, curious at its content.

"Sirius, this one's kind of heavy, could you lend me a paw?" Achernar yelled to him.  
"Eh, give me a minute." He helped Achernar lift a large steel cage onto a cart. "What _is_ this?"  
"Why do you think we have Procyon?"  
"Touche." He reopened the book to a random page, titled 'Showing Affection'. "Hey, Achernar, check this out."

The giraffe craned his neck over.  
"What the hell is this book? 'Scratch behind the ear', 'Belly rub'?" the giraffe asked.  
"Sounds wacky, right? I'm gonna go ask him about this."  
"Sure, but can you wait until he's done? We have twenty more objects to go."  
"Wow, that close already?"  
"Yeah, give us ten minutes."  
"Nah, he's my protege, I'm sure he'll spare time for me."

The pair approached Kai, seated at the desk; mask off, wearing his wolf's disguise, narrating into the recorder.  
"Hey, Procyon, could I get a minute?"  
Kai finished the current item and paused the recording.  
"I'm almost done, ten minutes."  
"Oh, but this'll be quick."  
"Ten minutes is all I'm asking."  
"One of the conditions of our agreement was that you answer any question we ask, remember?"  
"Are you really pulling that card? Fine. Ask away."  
"So I found this book on the shelf-"  
"Fascinating."  
"… I found this book on the shelf, and it mentions that a scratch behind the ear is one of the best ways to show affection to a canine, along with a belly rub. Now, being a canine, I can assure you that this doesn't sound right. Care to shed some light from a human perspective?"  
"You ever get scratched behind the ear?"  
"Sure, couple times. Nothing special."  
"Hop up." Kai tapped the desk, removing both his gauntlets.  
"Oooh, is this the elusive 'ear scratch'?" Sirius sat on the desk, removed his mask, and leaned his head forward excitedly. Kai reached and began furiously scratching around the wolf's neck and behind his ears; instantly, Sirius went limp and fell onto his back.  
"Gah… what… are you..." he managed, moaning softly. Achernar began giggling gleefully, amused by the wolf's reaction. Kai began to scratch Sirius' belly and abdomen, and the wolf began kicking his leg repeatedly. "No, stop!"  
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Kai stated, amused. "Maybe you just needed a human's touch."  
"I'm serious, stop!"  
"Hello Sirius, I'm Procyon. How do you do?" Kai replied, very amused, himself.  
"Enough… with the fucking—Ahh—puns! Stop! I… I mean it!"  
"Get a room, you two," Achernar interjected, guffawing loudly.  
Sirius' tongue started to hang out from under his mask, and he tried to edge away from Kai, but the man's grip held fast.

A couple minutes later, Sirius forced himself to roll off of the desk, falling face first onto the floor, groaning heavily when he slammed onto the ground with a thud. He didn't move for several minutes.  
"Yo, Sirius, you okay?" the giraffe asked, craning his head down to the wolf's eye level.  
"I feel violated," he replied quietly.  
"I forgot what petting an animal felt like," Kai mumbled, putting his gauntlets back on, "Makes me wish I had a puppy."  
"No!" Sirius yelled. "You touch a pup like that and it's twenty-five to life! I'll make sure you spend eternity locked up!"  
"Did you… actually..?" Achernar asked, backing away.  
"Should I get the mop, Sirius?" Kai mused.  
"No, nothing happened!" He struggled to stand up, and wobbled slightly before flopping to the floor again. "Just... weak in the knees."  
"Some new robes, perhaps?" Kai added.  
"Fuck you, that was extremely unpleasant."  
"You wish she-wolves caressed you with such fervor."  
Sirius growled, but otherwise remained silent.  
"You know, I always wondered why dogs liked that. I guess now I know," Kai taunted.  
"Tell anyone and I will have you killed."  
"I won't tell if you won't tell. Now, I need ten minutes to wrap these recording up."  
Sirius grumbled, dissatisfied.

"Warned you, Sirius. Anyways, brought the next item." Achernar motioned to the cage. Kai started recording.  
"Item number… not numbered, appears to be a large cage, approximately three meters square by two meters tall; steel, dull and scratched. Probable use: holding dogfights or cockfights."  
"Dogfights?" Achernar asked, curiously.  
"Many humans found blood-sports amusing, particularly those involving animals. Hare coursing, wolf-baiting, dog-fighting, and fox hunting come to mind."  
"Wolf-baiting?" Sirius asked quietly, the phrase catching his attention.  
"Wolves would be captured, and then hunters would set dogs on them; in the case of young or inept dogs, the wolf would be hamstrung."  
"Why?!"  
"Achernar, could you fetch the book on shelf fifteen, row three? _Thus Spake Zarathustra_ , Nietzsche." The giraffe did as instructed. "Page one-hundred seventy-two, second paragraph, read from the top."  
"'"Man is the cruelest animal," says Zarathustra. "At tragedies, bull-fights, and crucifixions has he thus far been happiest on Earth; and when he invented his hell, behold, that was his heaven on Earth." He could put up with suffering now, by contemplating the eternal punishment of his oppressors in the other world.'," Achernar quoted.  
"That's enough. See, isn't this library wonderful? I don't even have to be the one to quote, I can have Achernar do it for me. In short: because it's in our nature."  
"First: how the hell did you remember the book, page, and paragraph on the correct shelf and row? Second, are all men sadistic mammal-abusers?" Sirius snapped back.  
"No, not at all. There are blood-sports that do not involve mammals."  
"Explain."  
"I found no amusement in animal fighting or abuse. After all, how honorable could it be to beat a dumb creature into submission? No, I enjoyed pankration, where my opponents, being men, had all the opportunity to fight back or call for mercy."  
"So you enjoy blood-sport?"  
"Naturally, it's in my nature. Oh, how long ago was it? I was twenty-five; it was long before my military days, back when I was still an assassin. Seldom would I get time to kill, but when I did, my partner Vitya and I would go into the underground fighting rings in southeast Asia. He would bet on me; odds were a thousand-to-one when we first started since everyone else was bigger, bulkier. Soon after that, well..."  
"So what happened?"  
"I never lost, naturally. Pankration is all about fighting dirty, and that's what we do best. I'll never forget my first money match; we made ten thousand, split two ways. As soon as I got in the cage, the other guy put me in a rear-naked choke, so I gouged his eye, broke his arm, flipped him, and shattered his skull."  
"You killed him?!"  
"Those were the rules. Fight until someone submits or dies. In my defense, he didn't wait for the official to start the match. Anyways, I'm getting really off track; Achernar, how many items do we have left?"  
"Nineteen, I think; I'll start bringing-" Achernar began.

In that moment, the elevator dinged; out came a black vixen and a kangaroo, both in labcoats with folders in their arms.  
"For fuck's sake..." Kai murmured, burying his face.  
"Sorry these printouts are so late Sirius, I just got back from the office, I don't have time to stay, but I-" The kangaroo cut off suddenly, sniffing at the air. "What the hell is that smell? Why are you on the floor, Sirius?"  
"Oh, you should ask him about Procyon's killer massages. I hear they're simply _orgasmic_ ," Achernar exclaimed, before bursting out laughing.  
"It takes just _one phone call_ to have you killed, Achernar," Sirius growled, propping himself up and sitting atop the desk.  
"Massaging... what, exactly? Never mind, I don't want to know; I have those printouts you wanted," the kangaroo responded. "Vega came with Regulus' reports, too. Where do you want them?"  
"Why it it everyone insists on interrupting me now?" Kai asked, to no avail.  
"Thanks Antares, just give them to Procyon," Sirius stated.  
"Your protege, the ambassador? What's he going to do with them?" Antares took the fox's portfolio, hopped to the desk, and handed both to Kai.

Kai opened it up and took a look at its contents; there were numerous tests, vital readings, and readouts of every kind. CT scans, MRI printouts, and X-Rays filled the back pages of the folder.  
"We've ruled out viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infection as the causes of Sirius' disease," Antares briefed.  
Kai removed the page with the chest CT-scan to inspect it closer.  
"Most of the symptoms are in his lungs, except for chronic fatigue, which we attribute to oxygen deprivation."  
"The fatigue is from oxygen deprivation?"  
"His blood oxygen is very slightly below nominal."  
"He has _zadihania_."  
"What?"  
"The disease, it's called zadihania, suffocation sickness; the name comes from Russia, which where doctors isolated the first case."  
"How could you possibly know that?"  
"Intuition. Anyways, it's a prion disease; you can tell by the pinprick holes in his lungs. It's the reason why his blood oxygen is down, as well as the other symptoms in his lungs. I have no idea how he got it, though..."  
"But you can't cure a prion disease, it's just misfolded proteins that make more misfolded proteins."  
"You can't, but I can."  
"How?"  
"It's one of those 'three pills a day for two weeks, then one pill a day maintenance' illnesses. The drug used to treat it is an enzyme that correctly refolds the proteins, but are otherwise inert in the body."  
"And… you have this drug on hand? I don't remember approving such a medication."  
"I'll just make it, no sweat."  
"Sirius, where did you find this pup?"  
"Isn't he something?" Sirius responded, patting Kai on the shoulder.

"Say, the vixen doesn't talk much, does she?" Kai asked, curious about the fox; she was melanistic, pitch black from head to toe, save for brilliant violet eyes.  
"Speak only when spoken to," Vega replied, robotically.  
"SEE! SHE GETS IT! WHY CAN'T YOU!" Sirius yelled; everyone ignored him, much to his annoyance.  
"Tell me, what do you do around here… Vega, was it?" Kai inquired.  
"Regulus is my father."  
"I see. I presume… epidemiology, perhaps a specialization in virology?"  
"I wrote my dissertation on the sub-strains of lyssavirus, so you would presume correctly."  
"Vega, why don't you go run along with your boyfriend and leave us be? We're already dreadfully busy as it is," Achernar stated, shooing the visitors away.  
"He's not my boyfriend!" she hissed, before quietly adding, "Not yet, anyways."  
Kai laughed.  
"Well, she's far more entertaining than you dolts. Who are you interested in? What dashing reynard deserves your hand in marriage?"  
"Well, we're only neighbors, but I'll be damned if he doesn't have the most gorgeous coat."  
"What does he do?"  
"Oh, he's a cop."  
Kai began guffawing furiously.  
"Is there something wrong with that?!"  
"You live in Tundratown?! Why? I thought your father headed the Bureau of Disease Control, wouldn't that make you two affluent?"  
"How could you possibly deduce that?!"  
"I presume when you mentioned an officer, you were talking about Neal Snowburrow?"  
"Again, how?"  
"There are three vulpine officers on the ZPD. One is married, one has a mate, and the third is, to my knowledge, single."  
"He is? Oh thank God."  
"So, why do you live in the middle of nowhere? Surely not to stalk a fox cop?"  
"Most of the Bureau's labs are in Tundratown, and I got a place with cheap rent so I could be closer to my research. Besides, my father can be very… irritable sometimes. Neal is just a nice bonus."  
"Just ask him out then!" Sirius goaded.  
"I can't! He thinks I'm a nurse!"  
"Here, I'll sort this out in a jiffy," Kai responded.

Kai pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number, before putting it on speaker.  
"Hello? Why are you calling me at… 9:16 on a Thursday?" Neal asked groggily.  
"Hey, Neal, could you answer a few questions?"  
"Do I have a choice?"  
"Atta-boy. Are you single?"  
"Wha—Are you coming on to me?"  
"Answer the question."  
"Yeah, I'm single."  
"Excellent. Do you have any neighbors that match the following description: vixen, three foot ten, all black except for violet eyes..."  
"Oh, you mean Lyra? Why do you ask? Wait… you aren't actually trying to hook me up, are you?"  
Vega lowered her ears and hid her eyes behind her palms.  
"Did you know she's a virologist?"  
"A what? I thought she was a nurse."  
"No, she's a doctor, damn good one, too; I imagine she lied because she presumed you would think her to be… out of your league, so to speak, if she told the truth. So, last question: are you interested in her?"  
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask her out. Shit though, a doctor? How am I gonna manage that..."  
Vega gave a victorious gesture.  
"From what I hear of her, she sounds like she might be interested in you, too. Give it a shot when you see her next."  
"Sure thing. But really, why are you calling? You aren't a matchmaker."  
"Oh, don't worry- everything has a purpose."  
"I thought as much." Neal hung up.

"How do you have his number?" Vega asked, before quietly adding, "Can I have it?"  
"I have everyone's numbers, and no. Get it yourself."  
"I don't buy it," Sirius claimed.  
"Do you want me to call your regular cell, or your burner phone?"  
"I don't have a burner phone."  
Kai dialed a number, and something in Sirius' pocket began to vibrate; he pulled it out and wiggled it in the air.  
"This is just my regular."  
Kai dialed another number, and a second phone began vibrating in Sirius' robe. Eventually, it fell silent.  
"We all heard that, Sirius," Achernar stated.  
"You lot just exist to ruin my life. Now I'll have to get a new one."  
"You can't deceive me, Sirius," Kai stated.

"W-Wait! I can't tell him about _this_!" Vega suddenly stated frantically, motioned to the surrounding areas.  
"Then don't. Just start with you, and it will all work out. You can neglect to mention the Court until you're already married."  
"Well… that's the problem."  
"What is?"  
"We can't get married."  
"Why not?"  
"Interspecies marriage is banned in Zootopia."  
"But you're both foxes."  
"I thought we could get by that, but he's an arctic fox and I'm a red fox."  
"Sirius, as her dear compatriot lawmaker, how would you feel about striking down that heinous ban?" Kai asked, ceremoniously.  
"Why?"  
"I won't feed you pills until you do."  
"YOU'D LET ME DIE?! AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH?!"  
"You should know by now that you are just means to a greater end; I'd ally with you if it suits me, and right now, you upholding the ban does not suit my interests."  
"Wow, harsh," Antares stated, folding his arms.  
"What justification do I even have for passing this law? Humans never had a law like that," Sirius angrily mumbled.  
"Of course not, are you retarded? Humans were the only intelligent mammals at the time, why would they marry outside their species? Would you marry a fish? A lizard?"  
"...No."  
"And besides, 1964 was when America passed the civil rights act, 1967 was the court decision allowing interracial marriages; that's probably the closest analogue we'll ever see, and since the year is… what, 2019? They've got you beat by a good fifty-two years."  
"Fine, I'll make the law. I can't believe I'm striking down centuries of tradition for a pair of foxes that aren't even dating yet."  
"But think, you'll make headlines as the most progressive senator known to mammal-kind!" Kai spoke, attempting to wrap one arm around Sirius' shoulders and motion in a wide arc with the other; Sirius backed away and fell to the floor again.  
"Stay away from me."  
"Wow, who would have guessed," Achernar began. "Procyon: expert historian, masseur, medical doctor, matchmaker, and now negotiator. Is there anything you can't do?"  
Vega giggled, while Antares rolled his eyes.  
"Well, I'd love to stay and help jerk Sirius off, but I have real work to do," Antares stated, before hopping off to the elevator with Vega close behind.  
"WHA—IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Sirius shouted. "YOU TRY RESISTING HIS GENTLE CARESS, THE WAY HIS HANDS COURSE THROUGH YOUR FUR-… Fuck, that came out wrong. No, wait!"  
The duo were out of sight.  
"I hate you guys," Sirius whimpered.

"Is anyone else coming through those elevator doors?" Kai asked, annoyed.  
"Doesn't look like it, no," Achernar stated, after confirming with a quick glance.  
"Good. Sirius, out of my foot-space." He prodded the wolf with his boot.  
"Give me a minute," Sirius responded irritably, curling up.  
Kai removed his gauntlet and reached down towards the wolf's neck; Sirius instantly scampered away.  
"Bring the last nineteen items, Achernar. I plan on finishing before tonight's Court meeting. Sirius has a law to propose, and I have other matters to attend."  
"Sure thing."

* * *

 **Rainforest District  
Friday  
9 AM**

It was a routine patrol day for Officer Fangmeyer, apart from the fact that she was assigned the latest rookie cop; a lion, Officer… she kept forgetting his name, but she was sure it would come back to her. Yesterday was boring, but maybe today she would get to show him an arrest and standard booking procedure. At the moment, they were driving through the roads, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Alright, rookie; nothing much usually happens in this part of Rainforest District, (or any part, for that matter), but I'll see if we can swing by the lower income housing," she spoke up after they rounded another corner.  
"Isn't that profiling though, Ma'am?"  
"Well, statistics don't lie."  
She began to drive around; they passed a restaurant, a boutique, and began passing by flower farms when suddenly, an ocelot jumped out in front of their squad car. Fangmeyer had to slam on the brake and swerve onto the shoulder to avoid flattening him.

"The fuck was that?" The lion asked.  
"Normally, I would say 'Language', but that scared the shit out of me, too."  
The pair got out and approached the mammal, which was lying in the middle of the street, twitching rapidly.  
"Got your restraints?" Fangmeyer asked.  
"Yup." The lion retrieved the handcuffs and muzzle from his belt and approached the ocelot.  
"Don't cuff him just yet, we gotta make sure he won't die."  
"Right, _ABC, ABC…_ Airway." The lion gently opened the smaller mammal's mouth to inspect for obstructions; not seeing any, he tilted the ocelot's chin back. "Clear, Breathing." He leaned in close to listen for breathing from the ocelot's mouth.

The ocelot snapped his jaws around the officer's neck and began to viciously tear from side to side.

"NO!" Fangmeyer yelled, running in. The lion shrieked, blood pouring out. She punched the ocelot in the joint between the lower jaw and skull, forcing it to stop shredding from side to side, before prying his jaws apart. The lion stood up, clutched at his neck, and stumbled backwards into the poppy field; Fangmeyer quickly cuffed the smaller cat and then chased after her fellow officer.

When he fell backwards, she was there with him.  
"Hey," he gurgled, half in jest. "At least he's alive." He laughed, spitting and gurgling blood.  
"You idiot!" she yelled, clamping his neck tight, radioing for help. "Why did you lean in? That's the first thing they teach you! Feel with your paws, not your ears."  
The gentle breeze blew threw the poppies as they waited for help, the pool of blood slowly growing beneath them.  
"Shit, I'm tired," he spoke suddenly. "Don't let me die." His expression changed to one of worry.  
"I've got you, I've got you," she reassured.  
His gaze lost focus and he began to go limp, just as the sirens began to sound in the distance.

* * *

 **Downtown  
Precinct One  
11 AM**

"I thought he was the lion!" the ocelot yelled, clawing at his restraints, trying to escape from the questioning room.  
"Which lion?" Hound questioned, calmly. Yelling back would get him nowhere, since it was clear the ocelot was high on something, but determining what it was would take questioning.  
"The lion, the lion!"  
"Which lion?" Hound repeated.  
"THE lion! Why don't you understand?"  
"What were you doing out by the flower farms?"  
"They were holding me, drugging me, making me cut flowers for them!"  
"Cut flowers?"  
"Cut the bulb, take the sap to them. I couldn't do it anymore, it was maddening! Now I need more of whatever they were giving me or I think I'll die!"  
"What were they giving you?"  
"I… I don't know..." The ocelot broke down into tears, and began shaking his chair back and forth until it fell over. Hound went and picked it up, before narrowing down his questions.  
"Nip?"  
"No, it was in a needle." The ocelot instantly calmed down.  
"We ran blood tests, you don't have anything in you that goes through a needle."  
"New stuff, made from the flowers."  
"What's it called?" Hound asked, picking up his pen and pad.  
"They call it 'dope'."  
"Dope?"  
"Oh, I never felt better than that first time."  
"Where did they first give it to you?"  
No response.  
"Where did you receive your first dose of 'dope'?"  
Again, no response. The ocelot appeared to have stopped paying attention.

Hound left the room, reconvening with Bogo and Fangmeyer just outside.  
"He's high alright. Calls it 'dope', says it comes from the flowers. New drug, probably, perhaps a cocktail, but I won't know for certain; he couldn't tell me when he got his first dose."  
"Did he say what he was doing there?" Bogo asked.  
"According to him, he was drugged and forced to take sap from the flowers. Probably payed him with finished narcotics; if I had to guess, immensely addictive. Taskmaster is probably a lion, which would explain why he attacked Officer Pridesworth; perhaps unable to differentiate the two."  
"So there's a drug den there, then?" Fangmeyer asked, quietly.  
"I'd say more than just a den. Probably a whole operation on those farms."  
"We'll get SWAT to raid the place," Bogo stated. "Everyone needs to be in position by sundown. We already lost one officer, I won't risk losing another, or civilians for that matter. If we go early enough, we might even stop distribution of this 'dope', seize their supply."  
"I can't believe I forgot his name," Fangmeyer spoke solemnly. "Officer Pridesworth."  
"It's not your fault. He forgot the basic rules of safety when administering emergency medicine, you needn't tear yourself apart over it."  
"Yeah, but he was young. That kind of injury is a career-ender, he'll be lucky if he can still walk. I should have been the one checking, showing him how it's done."  
"But then he'd never learn how to do it by himself. Besides, he's still alive, thanks to your quick actions. Go home, you have the rest of the day off."  
She walked away, dejected.

"Poor lass. I remember making mistakes like that; ate me up for a long time. Still does, actually," Hound stated.  
"Well, you don't get as good as you do without experience. Maybe this will be a learning experience for fresh recruits to actually follow proper procedure."  
Hound chuckled.  
"Nothing like a scary story to make you follow procedure, ain't that right?"  
"Hmph."

* * *

 **Rainforest District  
En Route to Flaunder's Flower Farm  
8:30 PM**

"Alright, snipers in place?" Leora asked. She and the other three were in a SWAT van with several other mammals pulled from other teams; there was a second van close behind.  
"Check," Neal answered. Several others sounded off as well.  
"Layout?"  
"Typical warehouse, open floor plan, large windows on upper floor, pylons holding the roof up. A couple silos around the main building. Several back rooms I can't see into."  
"Security?"  
"Mammals posted on the building parapet, looks like they might have tazers, none in the fields. Cameras cover the well-lit portions, only."  
"We'll go through the fields, then. Driver, park on the road adjacent the field."  
"Roger."

They pulled up towards the field and parked on the shoulder; the mammals shuffled out and crouched low in the field.  
"Move," Leora commanded, and everyone slowly crept towards the building. Soon, they were just behind the first row of poppies, with a small stretch of dirt separating them from the guards. "Now!" she spoke, and they jumped out after smoking out the vicinity and throwing several flashbangs into the entryway.  
"Police! Drop your weapons, paws where we can see them!" they all shouted; most guards didn't bother contesting; the ones that did got darted fairly quickly.

"Perimeter secured," she heard over the radio.  
"Good, I'm taking two for a breach."  
"Be careful."  
"Bjorn, take point. Felix, on me." Bjorn kicked down the door and the trio entered. Inside, an extensive array of lab setups: numerous distillation apparatus lined the middle row, boiler tanks on the far wall; there was no mistaking it: this was a drug refinery. Scurrying around were several mammals wearing respirators and wearing labcoats.  
"We have you surrounded, give yourselves up!" Felix shouted. The scurrying mammals stopped to stare, before continuing their scurry.

* * *

Eventually, everyone in the main room was apprehended, and they began to sweep the back rooms. The first three rooms were empty storage areas, the fourth room was chock full of bottled liquid, and the fifth room was an office; cowering beneath the office desk was a lion.  
"Bingo," Leora stated, before pulling him out and throwing him to the floor.  
"You're making a big mistake!" he shouted, paws behind his head. She cuffed and muzzled him before standing him up.  
"Sure thing, buddy." She noticed something off about his appearance. The scar across his brow, the way he held one eye closed… "Wait, I know you!"  
"Really? I get that a lot."  
"Lieutenant Linus Whatever-your-name-is."  
"I go by _Major_ Linus Chandre, now."

"You two, go check if the site is secure," she asked of her comrades.  
"Isn't it-" Felix began.  
"Check anyways."  
He nodded and the pair left. Leora reached up and turned off her helmet camera, before shutting the door.  
"What are you planning?" the lion asked, trying to back away.  
"You really don't remember me, do you?" she inquired playfully, removing her helmet and tilting her head from side to side, to show off her face.  
"I tend not to remember worthless mammals that are beneath me."  
She chuckled, removing a canister from her belt.  
"You know what this is?"  
"What?" She was purposefully holding the can such that he could not see it.  
Blinding pain struck him, first in his eyes, then in the rest of his face.  
"Bear mace." She kicked him in the groin for good measure.  
"You'll pay for that!" he roared.  
"Not without evidence." She dragged him out of the office by the scruff of his neck.  
"Leora, what the hell? Why did you mace him?" Felix asked.  
"He resisted."  
"He's in cuffs!"  
"He _resisted_."  
"… Alright."

They were about to leave the warehouse when a wolf came barreling through a side entrance.  
"I'm here to see Dene-" he stopped. "Oh, fancy seeing you here."  
"Freeze!" Bjorn commanded, raising his weapon.  
"You don't recognize me? I'm insulted. Anyways, you already arrested him, so I might as well get going."  
"Wait, Kai?" Leora began. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get past the perimeter?"  
"Well, long story short, I never get information in a timely manner. I was told about your raid on this farm maybe… oh, eight minutes ago, when I was still several miles outside of the city. Getting past the others was easy, I can move under cover of darkness, no sweat."  
"You're here to save this… fiend? To save the dope den?" She struggled to find an appropriate word for the lion.  
Kai laughed.  
"Dope? Is that what you kids are calling it? It's heroin, get it right."  
"In any case, I'll need you to come with us, to answer some-"  
"It doesn't matter, there's always a Plan B." He absconded as quickly as he arrived.  
"Wait!" she shouted after him, but he was already long gone.  
"You hear that?" Linus exclaimed. "That's the sound of loyalty."  
"You just happen to be his highest bidder." She pushed him out to the van, where they had the rest of the mammals detained.

It was a very textbook raid; no officers were injured, very few injuries for the belligerents, and the drug den was finished. The only thing that worried her was that Kai seemed to be on the wrong side of the conflict.

* * *

 **Saturday  
Downtown  
Precinct One  
8 AM**

"He refuses to talk," Hound answered confidently.  
"What do we know already?" Bogo asked.  
"Nothing. SWAT claims that this is a 'Major Linus Chandre' from the Zootopian Military, and we're trying to match the records now."

An off-duty officer peeked his head through the doorframe.  
"Chief, Army wants to speak with you."  
"Lovely," Bogo stated, rolling his eyes.  
He exited the questioning rooms and entered the lobby. There stood a grizzly in impeccable uniform, all six stars on his lapel gleaming, waiting at the desk. Bogo approached.

"To whom am I speaking?" Bogo asked, politely.  
"Aloysius Paddington, Generalissimo of the Armies of Zootopia." The bear extended a paw to shake. Bogo took it reluctantly.  
"May I inquire about your business here? Surely you didn't come just to visit?"  
"No, I came because an officer of mine appears to have been wrongly imprisoned."  
"Are you referring to Major Linus Chandre?"  
"The one and same."  
Bogo reduced his voice to a hushed tone.  
"He was found heading a narcotics manufacturing operation, I don't believe he was wrongly imprisoned."  
"What evidence do you have that he was heading this operation?"  
"He was there in the main office of the building."  
"Perhaps it is possible that he was a visitor, and did not know that it was a narcotics factory?"  
"I..." Bogo paused. The bear was right, the office did have a back entrance; if that case was presented in court, they would never have a conviction.  
"I already took the liberty of getting a court order for his release." The grizzly removed an envelope, sealed in wax, from his military uniform, before handing it to Bogo. The chief opened it up and, to his dismay, it was signed by not just one, but three judges.  
"I… Very well." Bogo pocketed the envelope. "I suppose we have no choice in the matter, then."  
"I'll be waiting here."

Bogo returned to the interrogation room.  
"Hound, process his paperwork, he's free to go." Bogo gave the detective the judge's writ; he inspected it very closely before protesting.  
"But, we had him!"  
"I agree, something feels off, but we can't disobey a court order." Bogo walked off.  
Hound read the paper one last time, unable to believe its contents. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw the lion giving a dastardly grin.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter will be a very dark surprise.**

 **This chapter was actually done earlier today and I meant to finish it last night, but I got busy with other work so I guess sorry that it's late? This phrase is just a gimme at this point. On the plus-side, I tried extra hard when I was proof-reading. Naturally, this means there will be at least one mistake.**

 **Also, if you were wondering, Flaunder's Flower Farm growing poppies is a nod to Flander's Field, the poem about poppies. Lyra is the constellation that the star Vega belongs to. Aloysius is the name of Sebastian Flyte's teddy bear in _Brideshead Revisited_ , by Evelyn Waugh, while Paddington is a famous fictional bear. Chandre is the lion from _Cheburashka_ , by Eduard Uspenskiy. I mostly make these obscure references because coming up with original names that don't sound fake as hell is really hard. Pridesworth took me like, an hour and a half of just sitting and staring at text to come up with and it still doesn't sound as good as I would have liked.**

 **Lastly, since someone asked, I won't personally be putting this on /r/Zootopia. I'm really not one for self-promotion, and I don't personally think it's the kind of thing they'd enjoy over there; partly because the story doesn't revolve around Nick or Judy, and partly because I'm mostly writing to improve my style. If someone else thinks otherwise and wants to put it there (or anywhere else for that matter), or if you really enjoy the story that much, be my guest. After all, writing for myself doesn't mean I have to be the only one to read it. Also, it's a free country, you don't have to listen to a word I say anyways.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #18: Did you know that Iago, the parrot from Aladdin, is inspired by a parrot of the same name from the Tintin comic, _The Castafiore Emerald_? Or perhaps that there is also a traitorous Iago in Shakespeare's _Othello_ , wherein he serves as the story's primary antagonist?**

 **Fun Fact #19: Similarly, in Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_ , Tybalt is named after Tybalt (alternatively spelled Tibert) from _Reynard and Isengrim_. Mercutio persistently refers to Tybalt as the "Prince of Cats", which is a pun on both this, and the Italian slang 'cazzo' (pronounced CAT-so), meaning penis. Shakespeare mastered his pun game.**


	24. Chapter XX: Abhorrence

**Court Chambers  
Saturday  
10 PM**

Kai was waiting on the stage, alongside Arcturus, for Linus to show up. There were already numerous other mammals waiting impatiently in the stands above, as the night's meeting had already concluded just over twenty minutes ago. Truth be told, the lion was supposed to be there an hour ago, but was mysteriously missing.

The doors were thrown open and in strolled Linus at a leisurely pace.  
"We do not tolerate your tardiness, Denebola," Arcturus reprimanded. "You were instructed to be here over an hour ago."  
"Relax, old bear. I'm here, aren't I?"  
"Our first order of business was to discuss your punishment for failure," Kai began, "As well as amends for my services in freeing you. We had to delay it past twenty other orders, and another twenty minutes past that."  
"Arcturus freed me, you're in way over your head."  
"Actually," Sirius piped in from the audience. "Had Arcturus not asked for Procyon's help, you would still be rotting in jail. Who do you think got you that writ of freedom? And yesterday evening, who attempted to run to your aid, despite very late warning on our part?"  
"Pshh," the lion dismissed, finally reaching the stage.

"Any motions from the rest of the Court?" Arcturus asked.  
"I move that Denebola leaves his duties in Zootopia and returns to his military services, and that another should re-establish the drug trade in his stead," Sirius suggested.  
"Seconded," a second mammal voiced.  
"Very well. Let us put it to a vote. All in favor of Denebola leaving the city after the next court meeting?"  
Everyone raised their arms.  
"It's settled th-"  
"Wait! You can't be serious!" the lion shouted angrily.  
"You brought this upon yourself with your sloppy craftsmanship," Kai plainly spoke. "If you took your job seriously, you wouldn't have let the police come knocking on your door less than a week after you started."  
"But I-"  
"Enough protesting," Arcturus interrupted. "You still retain your seat on this court, and you will yet be back in Zootopia some day. Now, I believe Procyon wishes to be compensated for his services. Speak, Procyon, what do you wish from Denebola?"  
"I don't want any material goods; rather, I want you to agree to terms of mine, Denebola, such that you may be less of a nuisance to me before you leave."  
The lion groaned.  
"Fine. What are they?"  
"First: You do not leave this building until the next meeting."  
"What? Why?!"  
"I don't want to save your dumb ass again. Second: unless I call for you by name, in which case you are to do what I ask, you are to stay out of my way."  
"Arcturus, these are unreasonable conditions!"  
"Do as he asks," Arcturus commanded menacingly. Linus cowered.  
"Lastly: you owe Sirius one favor of his choosing before you leave."  
"That's it?"  
"That's it."  
"Fine. I agree."  
"It's settled then," Arcturus boomed. "Denebola is to stay here until tomorrow night. I trust that Antares will keep watch over him?"  
"What the hell?" Antares shouted from the audience.  
"It's not like you have pressing matters that you can't do from here."  
"Fine, but you owe me."  
"Next meeting, we will decide who will take over Denebola's position. Adjourned."

Kai left to meet with Sirius just outside.  
"You really didn't need to give me a favor," Sirius stated.  
"If you don't want it, just say so. I just felt I owed you something."  
"No, I appreciate it. I'll make good use of it. I think Achernar had a theory he wanted to run by you, you should go talk to him."  
"I didn't see him in the meeting."  
"He's always in the basement."  
"Figures."

Kai went to the elevator and descended to the bottom floor. When he exited, Achernar's head peeked from over a shelf to see who had arrived.  
"Ah, if it isn't exactly who I wanted to see."  
"You had a theory you wanted to test?"  
"Yes, actually. You told me that mammals are only smart because human scientists wanted to grow mammals with human organs. That explanation falls apart when you consider rodents."  
"How so?"  
"What could humans do with rodent-sized organs?"  
"Where do you think the term 'lab rat' comes from?"  
"Erm..."  
"They breed like… well, rodents, they're easy to experiment on, and they provide conclusive results. They exist because they're the easiest to test upon, and ergo the first that we made."  
"Damnit, and here I thought I was onto something. Why such variety among mammals, though?"  
"We actually stuck to primates and made them immunocompromised; I imagine it's why they didn't survive long outside of the lab. However, the rest were either a case of 'what if this species is better', or 'just to see if we can play God'."  
"I see. Well, do you want to stick around and translate some books with me?"  
"I'd love to," Kai responded sarcastically, "But I'm busy. I need to get my satellite array tech back up and running."  
"That stuff still works?"  
"Of course, anything in space was built to last, satellites in particular, and especially those in geosynchronous orbit."  
"What do you use them for?"  
"Maps, missile guidance, and a whole lot of other what-not." Kai began to head to the elevator.  
"Did I just hear 'missile guidance'?"  
Kai smiled behind his mask as the elevator doors closed behind him.

* * *

 **Downtown Zootopia  
Sunday  
4:30 AM**

Leora was awoken when her phone rang; she looked at the number: Bogo.  
"Hello?" she answered, still half asleep.  
"Leora, sorry for the early call. Listen, we're fairly short-staffed, and that might be a problem. Would you be able to come in at 6?"  
"So no SWAT raid?"  
"No, just regular duty."  
"6 on a Sunday… Sure, I can do that."  
"Thanks a million."  
"Don't expect this to be a regular occurrence, Chief."  
"I won't."

She hung up and fell back in bed, looking at her alarm clock: 4:32 AM. She would have to get up right about now if she had any hope of making it in on-time; she would have ideally preferred to be there half an hour early, or even fifteen minutes early, but she would have to settle for five or ten today. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Four in the morning was far too early to get up.

Leora got out of bed and took a brisk, cold shower; she reasoned that there was nothing like abysmal temperatures to wake one up in the morning. She brushed her teeth and went out to make breakfast. She opened her fridge and saw… nothing. Strange, she could have sworn that she had some leftover fish from yesterday. No matter, she had plenty of frozen food, and she tossed a carton in the microwave.

As she ate, she was checking the news; nothing spectacular, but she did find that Friday's drug bust finally made today's headlines. No mention of the lion, though. She never found out what happened to him after he was arrested, but she could hope that he was transferred to a more permanent prison by now. She went to fetch a glass of water, and upon opening the cabinet, found a small pill bottle; she inspected the label: Sertraline, prescribed to her fifteen days ago, but not a single pill was missing.  
"What the hell?" she muttered. She never remembered getting a prescription filled for… whatever the bottle contained.

Leora avoided it when getting her water; if she really did fill the script, but hadn't been taking any pills, it would really be in her best interests to not start now. She made a note to ask her doctor the next time she scheduled a visit.

Inside her closet, her uniform hung alongside the sneaking suit from her previous mission, regular street clothes, and sundries; she donned her uniform and equipment and checked the time: 5:25 AM. She was making good time. Leora grabbed her keys off of the counter, and approached her door.

A board creaked behind her; she turned around to inspect the source of the noise, and saw a baseball bat just in time for it to strike her across the head. She fell to the floor, clutching her wound; her head throbbed and her vision went blurry. She looked up and saw a form of some sort raising to strike again. She reached for her tranquilizer, but the bat came down and hit her arm, throwing the weapon across the room.

The dark shape hit her several more times, until she could no longer raise her arms to defend herself; it then reached down and unclipped her police belt, removing any equipment she had left. It went on to unlock the door; in stepped two more figures.  
"If… If you're going to rob the place, just take what you want," she spoke feebly, clutching at her head.  
"But I'm not here for the place," a familiar voice spoke. "I'm here for you."  
The speaking voice leaned in to eye level. It was Major Linus Chandre.

"Restrain her," he commanded. Instantly, the other two grabbed her arms and dragged her across her apartment, lifting her up. Linus reeled his fist back and punched her beneath the ribs; she doubled over, but her captors forced her straight again. He beat her again and again until her ribs cracked, at which point he laughed.  
"How did you get out of jail?" Leora asked, winded.  
"They let me out."  
"What do you want?"  
"I promised you that you would pay for this. I'm keeping that promise."  
He punched her across the mouth, before winding up and delivering a straight punch to her left eye; she could feel blood coming down her face while he continued to strike her face and jaw. When he finally finished, she could barely speak.  
"Why?"  
"Because of you, I'm disgraced. They're kicking me out of the city."  
"So you're going to kill me? How petty can you possibly be?"  
"No, you're going to kill yourself."  
Leora laughed.  
"No, I'm not."  
"Oh, that's merely a formality; of course I'm going to kill you."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I presume you noticed the pills? Don't worry, you're not going senile like your parents, the pills really were there. I went in, had your medical records changed. Had a doctor prescribe you antidepressants. When they come in and see you dead, and a full bottle of half-month-old antidepressants, they'll just think that you're unstable and unmedicated."  
"YOU-"

She was interrupted by an uppercut to the jaw; she retaliated by spitting into his face. The blood-laden saliva slowly slid across his cheek, until he wiped it off with a handkerchief from inside his coat.  
"What do you possibly hope to accomplish?" He asked, irritated.  
"If I'm going to die, I'm going to have a little fun." She gave a very weak smile.  
"Fun, fun… Oh yes, I almost forgot! I need to have some fun with you before I kill you! Hold her mouth open."  
She struggled in vain as the mammals holding her pried her jaws apart; the lion protracted a claw and stuck it in her mouth, slicing small grooves into her cheeks; the pain was terrible, but then he resumed beating her. Every time she winced, the cuts tore wider and wider; soon, her mouth was a bloody mess, dripping on the floor.

"You do realize," she stated, "That if I look like this, that they'll never think it was a suicide?"  
"Oh, but no one gets to suicide overnight; it always starts somewhere. This will be the trigger that sets off your bomb."  
He stepped back and kicked her in the abdomen; the mammals holding her struggled to keep her upright, and instead dropped her to the floor. She made a vain effort to crawl to the door before she was restrained again.  
"They'll hear the ruckus, you know," Leora murmured, drooling blood on to the ground.  
"No, they won't. I payed your neighbors to take a vacation." He struck her across the face again; blood sprayed across the tiled floor.  
"Aren't you satisfied? Haven't you had enough?"  
"No, actually." He picked up the baseball bat and, with a heavy windup, struck her ribs; she could feel them break, and the immense pain caused her to cry out. "Cry all you want, no one will hear you." He struck several more times, before dropping the bat, unsatisfied.  
"Had enough?"  
"No, this isn't working. What's the best way to sap your will to live? Hmm…" He put a paw on his chin and pondered for a moment.  
"I'm already done. Just do it."  
"Not yet." A sinister grin spread across his face. "I know what I'll do. Put her on the bed."

Leora was dragged over to her bed, where the two thugs holding her threw her on her back before restraining her arms against the mattress; she looked over to the lion who, much to her horror, was removing his belt.  
"You know, my key mistake the last time I did this was being drunk-"  
"NO!" she shouted, struggling against her captors, unable to pull herself free. As the lion approached, she kicked him in the groin; in response, he whipped his belt across her face.  
"You took out my eye and I didn't get to finish. I won't make the same mistake this time. Undress her."  
The two holding her began to tear off her clothes; she reeled around and kicked one of them across the face, her claws slicing deep grooves. As the first reeled back, clutching at his face, the second one began to strangle her.

"This isn't working, throw her on the floor," Linus commanded.  
She managed to bite the arm that was around her neck, causing her assailant to give a muffled grunt; he let go long enough for her to make a break for it. She ran and almost made it to the door before Linus tackled her, slamming her face-first into the ground. As he grabbed her tail, she shrieked, but the first assailant clamped her mouth shut and sliced her face in reprisal.

"You have no idea how much trouble you caused the last time this happened. This time, there's no one you can run to." He licked her cheek, his hot breath causing her great discomfort, yet she was unable to shy away. "And I'm going to make sure I enjoy every bit of this."

* * *

 **7 AM**

Kai was heading into the city; he needed a supply of neodymium and promethium to fabricate some power supplies, one in particular for a receiver, and someone from the Court notified him of a wholesaler that would supply rare earth metals for extremely cheap. Suddenly, his phone rang; Bogo.  
"What could you possibly want from me?" Kai asked.  
"I swear if you have Leora-," Bogo shouted.  
"Why would I have her? You told me to break off contact."  
"You mean she's not with you?"  
"No."  
"I can't seem to reach her, and she's over an hour late for work; she's usually early. I'm starting to worry, but I don't have any officers to spare to check on her."  
"And you want me to do it?"  
"Only if you don't expect a favor the next time you see me."  
"Fine. I'll do it out of the goodness of my heart."  
"Yeah, out of the goodness of that shriveled, black, ice-cold-"

Kai hung up and consulted his map: Leora's apartment wasn't too far from his current location, but was in the opposite direction from where he was heading. Thankfully, he wasn't on any time-critical mission, since the fabricator would just stop if it ran out of an ingredient, and would pick up where it left off once resupplied. He changed directions.

Several streets later, he saw a familiar feline face walking the opposite way; he dropped down from the rooftops to tail the individual. After several turns, he decided to confront the lion.  
"Denebola, you were told not to leave the building until tonight's meeting," Kai scolded, causing his target to jump.  
"AH! Shit! Don't scare me like that!"  
"What are you doing in the city?"  
"Oh, you know… having a night out. Not often do I get to visit Zootopia."  
Kai sniffed at the air, and several familiar scents, one of them being blood, caused him to turn his nose.  
"Of course you reek of debauchery and turpitude, and… is that blood I smell?"  
"You wolves miss nothing. Relax, nothing's wrong."  
"Someone struck you."  
"Well, that tends to happen in this part of the city at night."  
"Get back to the Court," Kai commanded, continuing along his path. "And stay out of trouble."  
"Sure thing."

He resumed his journey to check up on Leora; as he arrived at her apartment, he passed several mammals on the way in. Peculiar, considering it was early on a Sunday. He climbed the stairs at an unhurried pace, before reaching her floor. As he walked down the hall, he noticed an unusual silence; no scuffling in any of the rooms, no snoring, hardly any noises at all.

When he reached her room, he knocked firmly. Three minutes later, and no one had answered. He knocked louder, this time calling to her.  
"Leora, open the door."  
Silence. Absolute silence, he couldn't hear anything from inside the door. Then…  
 _Drip_.  
He knocked faster.  
"Leora, come out."  
 _Drip_.

He went to pick the lock, but found he could not insert the lockpick; someone had broken off the end of the key into the hole. He kicked down the door and entered. The first thing he noticed aside from the utter darkness was the smell; the very metallic smell of blood permeated the air, and mixed with it… something else. Whatever it was, it was highly appalling. Then, when his eyes adjusted to the dim conditions, he noticed a much grimmer scene.

There, under the ceiling fan, hanging from a makeshift noose tied from a bright white extension cord, was Leora. She hung bruised, bloodied, and beaten, with hardly a shred of clothing on her, and ever so gently swaying from random air currents that came through the vents; the pattering and dripping came from a small trickle of blood falling from her toes into a larger pool on the tiled floor. Her legs hung just inches above the floor, and beside them, a small step-stool was tipped over.

Kai bounded through the door and, drawing his knife, cut her down in one swift motion before catching her. He kneeled down and set her gently on the ground, removing his mask and putting his ear to her chest; she was still warm and, although very faint and worryingly slow, he could hear a heartbeat. She was still alive. He took a stimulant-bearing needle from his vest and stuck it in her arm.  
"Come on," he spoke, gently shaking her.  
 _Oh, isn't this grand?_ A masculine voice murmured quietly from behind him.  
 _Not now. I'm busy.  
_ _But why concern yourself with_ _the leopard_ _?_ _Does the cat remind you of her?  
_ _Let the past stay in the past, Vitya.  
_ The figure walked into full view, but Kai did his best to ignore him.  
 _But you still love her, don't you? What was her name again, remind me?  
I use memories, but I will not allow memories to use me.  
How silly of me, of course you love her.  
You know we can't love.  
_ _Y_ _ou chose her over me_ _!_ _B_ _ack in Osaka, you told the surgeons to operate on her instead of me_ _!_ _YOU LET ME DIE!_ _NOW_ _YOU DARE TELL ME THAT_ _YOU DIDN'T DO IT OUT OF LOVE_ _!_  
A searing headache overtook Kai, and he nearly dropped Leora; he steeled himself and looked directly at Vitya.  
 _You're not real.  
Of course I am; you're imagining me, so by extension, I exist._ Vitya's apparition laughed.  
 _Then begone.  
First, I want you to justify to yourself why you're saving her.  
Because she's important to my plans.  
Bullshit, she's important. You and I both know that's a lie, I can see your thoughts.  
_ _Just you wait until I figure out why I'm hearing you. Just you wait.  
_ _When_ _the time comes, so be it; you'll get the satisfaction of letting me die again!_ _In the meantime, let me hear why you're saving her. Go on, spit it out.  
..._ _  
_ _You've changed, Garrett. You've changed._  
Vitya vanished, shaking his head, and Kai's gaze fell back to Leora.  
"Come on, wake up," he pleaded.

Slowly, her eyes opened.  
"W… Who?" she hoarsely whispered.  
"You're alive," Kai answered, relieved.  
"Ambassador? I… I can't see." She reached with a paw towards him, and ended up patting his hip.  
Kai fished through the nearby drawers for a flashlight; having found one, he held her eyes open and passed the light in and out of her eyes. Surprisingly, her pupils still contracted. However, upon passing the light over her left eye, he noticed that past its pupil, the inside was deformed.  
"Most likely temporary. Your left eye has a detached retina, but that can be fixed."  
"Why didn't you just let me die?"  
"Now why would I do that?"  
"Everything hurts, and my life is ruined. You don't have any use for me in this state. As far as the world is concerned, I'm a depressed leopard that just failed at suicide."  
"Come now, even a fool could tell that someone else did this to you."  
"How?"  
"Your wrists and ankles are chafed; someone restrained you and tied you up in possibly the worst noose I have ever seen, waited until you passed out, and then removed the restraints."  
"Worst noose, huh?"  
"I'm sure you can tie a knot better than that."  
She gave a pathetic laugh.  
"I bet I could."  
"How's your neck? Your legs?"  
"Neck's fine, but I think he broke one of my legs and bruised the other. My head hurts like a bitch, though. Ribs, too, now that I think about it. Actually, pretty much everything-"  
"I know you're in a lot of pain, but we need to stay focused. I think you're okay to move, given that your neck isn't seriously injured. Tell me everything, from the beginning; meanwhile, let's get you cleaned up."

Kai started to help her up, but she refused, instead curling around his knees.  
"I don't want to move," she quietly spoke.  
He waited for several minutes; eventually, it was clear she wasn't going to budge, not for a long time.  
"Come on, we need to get going." He helped her get to her feet; initially she protested, but eventually she stood; she was hobbling, leaning heavily on him.  
"I want to get something to wear before we get to the precinct."  
"We're not going to the precinct."  
"What? Why not? They need to collect evidence!"  
"It wouldn't matter."  
"But why?!"  
"Believe me when I say that he can get out of anything."  
"How do you know that he did this?"  
"I could smell it on him when I passed him on the way here. We shouldn't bother going to the police."  
"But I can't imagine him getting out of this one!"  
"Well, I got him out of the drug charges and, if I'm not mistaken, this _has_ happened before, right?"  
"You got him out of—how could you know this happened before?!"  
"Remember when I said that I bugged Bogo's office the first time I was there around two weeks ago? I heard everything."  
She slapped him across the face, small wisps of shadow trailing her fingers as the snout in his disguise reformed; Kai was surprised, not because he didn't deserve it, but because she managed to hit him while blind.  
"Anyways, he was inducted into the Court a short while after he became Lieutenant. I imagine he got drunk in celebration, and, well... they pulled some string to pin it on you. Just this past Friday, the Court asked me to get him out, and I did, on the condition that he didn't leave the building. Of course, he disobeyed, but—"  
"Part of the what?" she interrupted.  
"I can't explain."

She intentionally shifted her weight to become difficult to carry.  
"I'm not moving another inch until you tell me."  
"If they find out I've told you, they'll have us both killed. Well, they'll try to have me killed, but you'll be as good as dead."  
"What does it matter?"  
"It matters a lot. Here, how about this; I'll strike you a deal: get cleaned up, don't ask questions, and I'll get you revenge; if you don't pass out, that is. If you do, it's straight to the hospital."  
"How can you promise me revenge so easily?"  
"I know exactly where Denebola is."  
"Who?"  
"Linus Chandre."  
She paused, clearly with the intent to glare at him albeit staring into the space next to him, for several seconds.  
"How can I trust you, especially after finding out that YOU freed him?"  
"I never lie, remember?"  
"… Fine. Help me get to the shower."

He took her several steps to her bath, where she paused.  
"Something wrong?" Kai asked.  
"Do you mind?"  
"I spend a couple years underground, and all of a sudden, animals develop a sense of decency."  
"Go on," she reiterated, twirling her finger.  
"I don't know what's funnier, the fact that you think you can stand on your own, or that you think removing what few shreds of clothing you still have on will all-of-a-sudden make you appear indecent to me."  
"Turn around."  
"You're blind, how do you know I'm not already facing the other way?"  
"Because your voice is still loud."  
Kai turned his head, still supporting Leora.  
"Better?"  
"Finally."  
"Yeah, but how are you going to wash up if you can't stand on your own, and if you can't see what needs cleaning?"  
"I'll manage."

She managed to feel her way over the tub wall, and turned on the shower head; she stayed in the dry area until it was a satisfying temperature, and then sat beneath its flow. She initially cried out when the hot water went over her wounds, but eventually acclimated. Soon, she tossed her wet clothing haphazardly out of the way (and inadvertently straight into Kai) before reaching up for shampoo. She felt around, but couldn't quite seem to grab hold of the bottle.  
"Hand me the shampoo, without looking at me." she commanded.  
"I thought I was supposed to face this way unconditionally," Kai teased, giving her the wash.  
"You're lucky a female lets you this close to her in the nude as-is."  
Kai rolled his eyes. As Leora washed her fur, the blood-soaked water stained the walls of the tub; it soon resembled a murder scene, save for a mostly clean victim.  
"You missed a spot, left shin."  
"I said not to look!" she protested, scrubbing her left shin with great pain.  
"You honestly expect the only pair of working eyes in the room to not assist in cleaning a bloodied leopard? We're about to go in public, and I'm not about to look like the perpetrator."  
"When I get my eyes back I'll—"  
"You can beat me as much as you want."  
"You bet I will."  
She finished scrubbing and pulled away her paws.  
"Your shin is still bloody, it's probably an active wound."  
"Damnit, I thought it hurt. Get me some gauze, first-aid box in the third drawer from the right in the kitchen."  
Kai went and fetched the gauze, as well as some medical tape; when he returned, her leg was propped up. He began to dry and bandage it, much to her protests, but upon reminding her of her blindness, she fell silent.  
"Hand me the towel." He threw her the towel, still slightly damp from her first shower; she began to dry herself off, before wrapping the towel around herself. "Help me out." He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her out of the tub and onto her feet. "What time is it?"  
"Almost 8."  
"Damn, I'm very late for work."  
Kai chuckled, leading her to her dresser.  
"You just got beat within an inch of your life and left for dead, and you're worried about your job."  
"It was an idle observation. You know just as well as I do that mammals do that after experiencing trauma."  
"Let's get you dressed; what do you want to wear?"  
"Erm…" She thought for a moment. "I still have the red pullover and jeans, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Give me those. Just fish out any lingerie, it doesn't matter; it's not like anyone's going to see them." She pondered the statement for a moment. "Well, anyone except you."

He turned out of courtesy while she dressed, although he wasn't quite sure why; a leopard in clothes was a stranger thing to him than one without. Perhaps it was for her comfort, but that wasn't entirely true either, since she was currently blind and couldn't tell the difference.

"Ready?" he asked, once he felt that she was putting less weight on him than previously.  
"Yeah, I'm good."  
"Alright. Where can we get a car?"  
"Car? Why would we need one? I'm blind, I can't drive."  
"I can. Besides, we need to pick up a third passenger."  
"Who?"  
"The lion, of course."  
"You're giving him the courtesy of a car ride?"  
"Well, I was going to throw him in the trunk, but if you want to strike up a rousing conversation, I wouldn't object."  
"Trunk sounds good. I think Rufus drives one, but I wouldn't know."  
"You think he'll give it to us?"  
"I'm sure if you compensate him enough, he will."  
"Well, let's try our luck with him, shall we?"  
"How am I going to get there?"  
"Tundratown, right? Let's see… I could just get it from him and pick you up from here."  
"I don't want you to leave me alone."  
"The other option is that we call and have him come here."  
"Then how does he get back?"  
"That can be his problem."  
Kai removed the phone from his coat and dialed Rufus.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter actually is late, what do you know. I'm going to try to put this plot arc in two parts, this being part one, but it might end up being in three parts. Technically this was finished last night, but proofreading is important; I caught ~7 mistakes in this last reading, but I might have missed some.**

 **And hey, Fourth of July extended weekend, I get time off for the first time in seven weeks. Here's where I would say I have time to answer questions, but I was already capable of doing that even when I supposedly didn't have time.**

 **Also this chapter made me feel like a bad person; I could have been a worse person and depicted graphic rape, but I decided to go for the implied option instead; partly because I preferred the latter and partly because I probably would have written the former poorly.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #20: It is illegal to die in the UK House of Parliament. Who would punish you?**

 **Fun Fact #21: There are so many ways to shuffle a standard 52 card deck that it is nearly inconceivable to most people. The number, 52!, looks like 80,658,175,170,943,878,571,660,636,856,403,766,975,289,505,440,883,277,824,000,000,000,000, or 8.066e67, when written out. Here is an accurate depiction of how large that number is.  
Start a timer that counts down in seconds from 52!. Now, start walking around the circumference of the Earth at the rate of one step every billion years. When you've done that, remove one drop of water from the Pacific Ocean. Start over until you've emptied the ocean. When it's empty, place one standard sheet of printer paper flat on the ground and refill the ocean. Repeat these steps until your stack of paper reaches from the Earth to the sun. Now look at the timer: when you started, it read 8.066e67. Now, it reads 8.063e67. You've hardly made any progress at all, so you repeat everything you've done a thousand times more. Now, the timer reads 5.385e67. You're still only a third of the way there.  
To pass the remaining time, shuffle and deal yourself a five card poker hand at random every billion years. When you deal a royal flush, buy a lottery ticket. If the ticket wins a jackpot, throw a grain of sand into the Grand Canyon. When the Grand Canyon is full, empty it and remove an ounce of rock from Mount Everest. When Mount Everest is gone, look at the timer. It went from 5.385e67 seconds to 5.364e67 seconds. If you were to repeat this process 255 more times, it would read 3.024e64 seconds; we finally made some progress into the number of decimal digits. You would finish some time during your 256th attempt.  
By the time you finish, every proton in the universe will have decayed, most matter in the universe will be gone. The only thing left will be large black holes that haven't evaporated yet, and a diffuse sea of photons.**


	25. Chapter XXI: Vengeance

"Hello?" Rufus answered, producing an audible yawn.  
"Rufus, do you own a car?" Kai asked.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"I need it for the day."  
"Erm… why?"  
"No questions asked, I have fifty-thousand dollars waiting for you if you drive to Leora's apartment and find some other means of getting home; you'll have the car back by tomorrow morning."  
"Fifty-thousand, huh? Why don't you just buy a car with that kind of money?"  
"I need one now, and I only need it for the day; by the time I get through the 'proper' means of acquiring one, I will have missed a window of opportunity, so to speak."  
"My wife is already getting suspicious about how I can afford real food on a cop's salary, how am I going to explain this to her?"  
"You can spend the day out, run errands, relax; she doesn't need to know."  
"Fine, fifty-thousand up-front. I'll be there in half an hour." He hung up.

"You have fifty-thousand?" Leora asked, suspiciously.  
"Before I was asked to check on you, I was on my way to purchase some rare metals for a project of mine. We're lucky that Bogo made the call when he did."  
"Bogo called you?"  
"Yes, said he was 'worried but didn't have enough officers to check up on you'. You know, you're lucky that the lion can't tie knots, and that leopards don't weigh much, or you could have died before I got here."  
"Let's just wait and see if I'm going to be happy with the outcome, once I'm all fixed up and the lion is dead."  
He sat her down and went to the door to wait; although he kicked the door open, it was still relatively whole, could open and close (although would not stay shut), and the chain lock and deadbolt still worked decently well. However, if the handle was shaken in the correct manner while the door was closed, the deadbolt would just slide open, allowing any intruder to reach in and unchain the door.

"Yeah, the deadbolt's shit. I've been asking the landlord to get a new lock, but he never did."  
"Keep any valuables here?"  
"No, I got a deposit box for most of them. Whatever's left I keep in a safe that's bolted to the floor."  
"Being a cop means you see a lot of burglaries, huh?"  
"Yeah, I mostly went off of recommendations from coworkers. The safe works pretty well, and it's fireproof."  
"Well, your door doesn't lock, so I guess I'll have to take your word on it."  
"Damnit, now my landlord is going to kill me."  
"Let me know if he tries, I'll have a word with him."  
"You'll just leave him in forty pieces across the lobby."  
"Something to that effect, yes."

Leora propped her head on her paw and waited the remainder of the half-hour. Kai waited assiduously by the door, watching for Rufus. Like clockwork, when half an hour was up, he appeared on the other end of the door. He raised a paw to knock, but then noticed the cracks and scuff marks on the handle-side of the door. He drew a tranquilizer gun and reached for the handle.  
"It's alright, we're fine," Kai spoke through the door, opening it up.  
"You nearly gave me a heart attack. What happened, why's the door messed up?" Rufus stepped through the doorway and into her apartment. "What the hell..."  
"So, your car," Kai reminded.  
"What happened?"  
"No questions asked, you give us the keys. I believe that was the arrangement." Kai removed several large stacks of bills from inside his coat, handing them to Rufus. Rufus took the stacks and leafed through them; satisfied, he pocketed them.  
"Nothing illegal, right?"  
"No questions asked," Kai reiterated.  
Rufus turned around and walked out the door, tossing the keys over his shoulder.  
"Red Wolfswagen, parked in the adjacent garage, third floor."  
"You're a lifesaver, Rufus," Leora piped up from the table.  
"Tell me about it at work tomorrow. I wanna enjoy my day off."  
"Maybe next week."  
"Sure, whenever." He walked off.

They waited several minutes after he was out of sight.  
"So, are we going or not?" Leora asked impatiently.  
"Alright."  
He helped her get up and they set out. They walked slowly down the hall, before going through the door into the attached parking garage; there, they entered the elevator and descended to the third level. Kai quickly found the red car and began to seat Leora in the front passenger side.  
"Actually, can you put me in the back?" Leora protested. "I want to lay down for a while."  
"If you don't think you're going to make it, I should take you to the hospital."  
"No. I'm going to see this through; I'm not going to sleep, I just want to rest my back."  
Kai deliberated for a moment before granting her wish. He set her down in the rear seats, where she quickly curled up on her side. He sat in front and started the engine.  
"Say, Leora, you said Bogo was shortstaffed today, right?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"If I break some traffic laws, what's the chance that a cop's going to tail me?"  
"You're probably going to get a camera ticket, but what's the chance you're going to get us killed in the process?"  
"Virtually zero. I'm a good driver."  
"Oh really? Why's that?"  
"My mind works faster than anyone else's."  
"What's thirty-seven times eight-hundred forty-one?"  
"Thirty-one thousand one-hundred seventeen," he replied, not skipping a beat.  
"I'll just take your word for it. Don't get me killed."  
"I'll try not to."

He shifted into gear and raced off out of the garage, flying around the turns. On the way out of the garage, he nearly cut off another car on the cross-street which honked furiously.  
"For a regular car, I'm impressed with how well it handles," Kai remarked, rounding a corner. "But, I wish it could go a little faster."  
He ran a red light, narrowly missing two cars which swerved to avoid him.  
"Now you're definitely attracting attention," Leora remarked.  
"I just need to make it out of the city. City police jurisdiction ends two miles past city limits; after that, we're home free."  
"After that, Bogo can't save us."  
"Why do you think I packed napalm canisters?"  
"You can't be serious."  
"No, Sirius is the other wolf," Kai replied absentmindedly. "Damnit, now I've got the pun stuck in my head."  
"You're just talking in riddles, now."

He raced through the lanes, passing slower cars; when he cut another red, he nearly crashed into a police cruiser. The cruiser switched on its lights and began its pursuit.  
"Now you've done it," Leora remarked.  
"Hey, you have your phone, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"Dial Bogo and give me the phone."  
She did as he asked.  
"Leora, where are you?! You're over two hours late for your shift!" Bogo's voice boomed.  
"I'm not Leora. Listen Bogo, I'm running Leora to the hospital and there's a cruiser on me. Can you get them to stop chasing?"  
"HOSPITAL?!"  
"I promise I'll tell you everything afterwards, but a police escort makes it really hard to ignore traffic laws. Get them off."  
"Why are they chasing you to begin with?"  
"I ran a red and they were there; listen, I don't have time to explain. Get them off of me or I'll start throwing grenades out the window."  
"You really don't leave me with options. Fine, I'll see what I can do, but you had better explain everything when Leora's safe."

Bogo hung up, and a couple minutes later, the cruiser behind them dropped their pursuit. Shortly thereafter, they began to reach the city limits.  
"Where are we going, anyways?" Leora inquired.  
"Around five more miles out; it's a private lodge."  
"Fucker's hiding out at a private lodge?"  
"To be fair, he was never supposed to leave in the first place."  
"When we get him, what are we going to do?"  
"What do you want to do?"  
"I want him to suffer."  
Kai chuckled.  
"I can do that."

Several minutes later, Kai stopped the car.  
"I'm going to go inside, stay here."  
"What, you're going to leave me?"  
"It's safer this way. You won't be allowed inside; besides, I have some dangerous matters to tend to. Your blindness would complicate things."  
"...Fine."  
Kai exited the car and headed for the entrance.

Inside, he was greeted by a goat.  
"Procyon, it's rather early for you to be here."  
"What, no riddle?"  
"You're alone, no need."  
"Where's Denebola?"  
"Same place he's been all night, second floor lounge with Antares."  
Kai nodded and took off.

He bounded up the steps and came to the door of the lounge. He opened it and stepped in; inside, he saw Antares, alone and in a labcoat, typing away on a laptop. The kangaroo took a moment to look up.  
"Procyon, you're here early."  
"Denebola, where?"  
"He's out eating."  
"You let him leave?"  
"Of course not, the lodge has a dining hall."  
Kai closed the door and took a seat at the other end of the table.  
"Tell me, Antares: do you know where Denebola has been?"  
"At the lodge, why?"  
"And you're certain?"  
"Of course, I watched over him myself."  
"And it's not possible that, not even for a moment, he could have left your sight?"  
"What are you going on about?"  
"You're not helping him, are you?"  
"Are you mad? I want him out of the city as much as you do. I can't believe you think I actually enjoy babysitting him."  
"He was gone for at least four hours this morning."  
"That's not possible."  
"I ran into him in the city at 7."  
"I..." Antares wavered slightly.  
"And before that, he was elsewhere in the city from at least 4 in the morning. Accounting for travel, that's at least four hours."  
"I only let him out to eat and bathe, nothing more."  
"Did he make any… strange requests?"  
"Well, he did ask for help disposing of some evidence; altering medical records and writing prescriptions and such. I gave him a contact and that was that."  
"Lovely. He fucked up my day, and now you're going to help me fix it."  
"Can't, I'm busy."  
Kai stood and slammed the lid of the laptop shut.  
"Hey, what the hell!" Antares shouted, raising his paws.  
"You're going to help me fix it. Now."  
"Why?"  
"He used your 'contact' to change someone's medical history to that of clinical depression and to write her a script for antidepressants."  
"So? That doesn't seem like a problem."  
"Yeah, until you account for the fact that he beat her, broke her ribs, her leg, her pelvis, detached a retina, and raped her, before tying her up in a noose in an attempt at faking her suicide."  
"God Almighty..." Antares could only muster a face of shock.  
"And I can't take her to a hospital until you remove clinical depression from her medical history."  
"Why not?! She's on the verge of death!"  
"You know why: they'll take her to the asylum, lock her up, inject her with lithium salts and God know what else, and by the time they're done with her, she'll be lucky if she still has her mind."  
Antares opened his laptop and began furiously clicking and typing.  
"Name?"  
"Leora. No last name."  
"Species?"  
"Leopard."  
Several clicks more.  
"Alright, what do I need to fix?"  
"Anything that was altered in the last twenty-four hours."  
"Depression?"  
"Wipe it."  
"Let's see… done. Dementia meds?"  
"Was it from the last twenty-four hours?"  
"Prescription filled… two weeks ago. Weird, she's not even thirty, dementia doesn't start until at least fifty..."  
"Leave it."  
"That's it, then. Get her to a hospital, I'll have a word with Denebola, make sure the Court knows what he's done-"  
"No. Tell me where he is, I'll take care of him."  
"But what about the leopard?"  
"She's in good hands, I promise you."

Kai nearly stood and went for the door; suddenly, as if on cue, it opened to reveal the lion, who took a seat at the table.  
"Ah, Denebola, we were just talking about you," Kai spoke.  
"You're here early, meeting's not for another twelve hours," Linus replied.  
"How about we take a walk?"  
"I thought I wasn't supposed to leave the building?" he replied in a smart-assed tone.  
"Antares and I already know that; why don't you tell that to Leora?"  
His face went blank.  
"What?"  
"She's just outside, waiting for us. Come, I think she wants an apology."  
"No, she can't be alive, I… erm…"  
"You left her hanging in a noose? Well, unfortunately for you, you can't tie a hangman's noose properly. So, I took the liberty of bringing her here."  
"You brought an outsider to the lodge?" Antares asked, furiously.  
"That's the least of your worries, Antares. You let this happen, pray I don't mention this at tonight's meeting."  
"Denebola should be praying that he doesn't get exiled from the Court at tonight's meeting! Leave me out of this!"  
"He doesn't have to worry about that anymore."  
"What are you talking about?" Linus asked warily, standing up.  
"Have you ever heard of the worst human punishment, reserved only for the most despicable of criminals?"  
"N-no?"  
"How about I show you what it feels like?"

The lion sprinted for the door, but Kai took a handgun from inside his coat and shot him through the leg.  
"What are you doing, Procyon!" Antares shouted. "The Court's going to have you killed if they find out you're assaulting another member! With a gun, no less!"  
"They will try, and I will deal with the consequences in due time." He stood and walked over to the lion, who was attempting to crawl away. Kai removed a set of restraints from his belt and shackled Linus' limbs together.  
"Antares! Help! Get this lunatic away from me!"  
Kai picked the lion up and slung him over his shoulder.  
"He's right Procyon, I can't let you carry him away, no matter what he may have done."  
"How do you plan on stopping me?"  
"I…" he wavered in his answer and fell silent.  
"Tell no one of this. I'll be back for tonight's meeting." Kai began to walk off.  
Before Antares could think of another response, Kai was down the stairs and in the lobby.

The goat stared at him as he walked out.  
"Help!" Linus shouted.  
"Don't bother the good goat, Denebola. He's busy."  
The poor goat was too confused to react.

Kai walked down to the car, where Leora was still lying in the back seat. Kai opened the front door and tied Linus into the passenger seat before taking the driver's spot.  
"YOU DARE LOCK ME IN THE SAME CAR AS THIS WHORE?!"  
"Kai, I thought you were going to throw him in the trunk. Now he's going to just piss me off."  
"I thought you might have wanted a rousing conversation."  
"DON'T TALK ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE!"  
Kai began to drive further out of the city. They passed numerous trees before the forest gave way to fields and grassy plains.

"Kai," Leora began.  
"Hmm?"  
"I… I think I can sort-of see out of my right eye."  
"Where are we?"  
"I see a blurry field on the right, what looks like yellow flowers… sunflowers?"  
"Well, that's good news. All we have to do is-"  
"I knew I should have just slit your wrists and left you in the bathtub," Linus grumbled.  
"If she was dead, Denebola, I would leave you in a perpetual state of agony, such that you wish you would have been in her place."  
The lion fell silent.

They continued their drive straight along the countryside, until Kai veered off onto a side road; they followed this new path for several miles, until he parked the car on the shoulder.  
"This should be good."  
"Where are we?" Denebola asked.  
"Beautiful, no? Much better than what Leora has in mind, I imagine, but it's far away from society."  
He got out, before going to the passenger side and throwing Linus out of the car. Next, he assisted Leora in exiting, before leaning her against the vehicle. After removing the bindings around the lion's ankles and picking him up, they began to move; Linus limped on his bad leg, and Kai helped Leora along.

"Where are we going?"  
"Oh, another half mile or so, just over the hill."  
They trudged over the hill, and several hundred feet later, on a flat swatch of land, stood a lone tree, covered in an autumn rainbow of leaves. Kai set Leora down upon a rock.  
"What do you want from me?"  
"Stand against the tree."  
The lion hobbled over and leaned heavily on the tree.

"So, Leora, what do you want from him?" Kai asked.  
She thought for a long time.  
"Come on, love. We don't have all day," the lion sputtered, impatiently.  
"You know what?" Leora began. "He's all yours. Make him suffer."  
Linus chuckled.  
"What?" Leora asked angrily. "Something wrong?"  
"I feared you might have gotten creative with your punishment. I guess not; I can take a few hits, and I'll be back for the meeting before anyone misses me."  
This time, Leora chuckled.  
"Now what? Changed your mind?"  
"No, it's just funny. You think you're leaving this place."  
"W-what?"  
"Don't you know? He's the serial killer."  
"But..." He turned to face Kai. "Sirius said he got rid of the killer!"  
"Sirius brought me closer to him to keep me under a more watchful eye. I daresay, it might have had unexpected consequences," Kai stated.  
"Hurry it up, I have to get to the hospital some time," Leora muttered impatiently.

Kai began to approach the lion.  
"N-no! Please, mercy! I'll do anything!"  
"How many chances did you have to change the events that led up to this moment?" Leora shouted.  
"Now now, Leora, let us not be too hasty. Depending on how well he behaves, I may yet give him a chance for mercy," Kai spoke calmly.  
Kai stopped several feet before Linus, and began fishing on the ground for dead branches, fallen from the tree above. Finding one that satisfied him, roughly the width of two fingers held together, he broke it in two, removed his knife and began carving the ends to a point.

Linus watched with fearful eyes as the sticks became unreasonably sharp. Kai prodded the end with his palm and, satisfied with the points, resumed his approach. Kai embedded one stake into the ground near the lion. Using his newly freed hand, he ran his knife through the lion's gut and dragged it across; Linus produced an unearthly howl and fell backwards into the tree. After several more cuts, Kai retrieved one end of his viscera and skewered it to the tree with the second stake.

The lion fell to the ground and Kai removed the restraints on his hands. Instantly, the lion reached up in an attempt to pull out the rod staking him to the tree, but could not muster the strength; instead, he attempted to stand, minimizing the tension on his organs, leaning heavily on the tree.  
"Brutal, but not quite satisfying," Leora commented. "This isn't as severe as what I had in mind when I said 'make him suffer'."  
"I'm not done yet, dear," Kai explained, before turning to the lion. "Walk. Now."  
"W-walk where? I… I'm stuck to the tree!"  
"Walk circles around the tree, crawl if you have to."  
A horrible realization dawned upon the lion as he realized what he was being asked to do.  
"B… but that will kill me!"  
"No, not kill you; you don't need your intestines to live. Besides, I think they'd look better wound around a tree than inside you."  
He stared in shock.  
"Walk. NOW!"  
"Please!" Linus pleaded.  
"You had your chance, but you chose to sneak out of the lodge and perform villainy."

Kai kicked him more than gently in the back and he began to, very slowly and very reluctantly, walk around the tree; every few feet he would stop to produce a bloodcurdling screech before Kai nudged him along again. Several minutes and four revolutions later, Linus came to a halt, practically hugging the tree.  
"Get him going again," Leora commanded.  
"I think he's run out of guts," Kai observed.  
"Now what, I'm not satisfied yet."  
Kai took the second stake and stabbed it through roughly halfway around the tree from where the lion stood.  
"Leashed him, good. Now I want you to beat him; break his ribs," Leora demanded.  
The lion attempted to run the other direction around the tree, but was cut short by Kai, standing in his way. Two punches, and he was on the ground, four of his ribs broken.  
"His jaw."  
Kai aimed a kick, and shattered the left side of the lion's jawbone.  
"His legs."  
Broken.  
"Pelvis."  
Broken.  
"Cut out his liver."  
"Oh my, you are cruel, Leora."  
Kai took out his knife and carved out the organ, giving it to Leora, before cauterizing the blood flow by heating and pressing the steel of his knife with a blowtorch on his belt.  
"Now his good eye."  
"No, I did say if he behaved well, I would show him mercy."  
"What kind of mercy could you possibly show?" the lion struggled to cough out.  
Kai retrieved a handgun from his coat, and crouched in front of the lion. He removed the clip, and then began removing bullets. One, two… five bullets removed, leaving one still in the magazine. He reinserted it into the gun and chambered the round.  
"You're going to kill me?"  
Kai dropped the gun in front of the lion and walked to Leora, helping her stand.

"That's it?" Leora whispered to him.  
"No. Walk in front of me."  
They took twenty steps, and right when they were at the top of the hill, a gunshot rang out; a bullet struck Kai in the back plate of his vest, chipping it; an impeccable shot. The vest would need replacing, but otherwise, he was unharmed.  
"Now that's it; he's done."  
"COME BACK HERE!" they heard from behind them. "DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME HERE!"  
"Why are you leaving him? Why can't we just kill him?!" Leora demanded to know.  
"Simple: I gave him a merciful choice, and he shot at me instead. A lion can survive four days without water, and he's not bleeding to any significant degree."  
"So?"  
"Look up."  
Leora raised her gaze to the sky, and she could just barely make out circling objects.  
"Birds?"  
"Buzzards, mostly. I think they'll eat well in the next few days, after he dies of pestilence and predation. He's looking forward to four days of agony."  
She stopped to glance at him, giving an evil, yet very pained grin.  
"You're a monster, you know that?"  
"I try."  
"So, should I toss them the liver?" she asked, pointing to the birds.  
"You asked me to carve it out for no reason?"  
"I just wanted him to hurt."  
"I'll take it if you won't."  
"Why?"  
"I hear that to certain cultures, lion liver is a delicacy."  
"Wait… You're going to eat it?"  
"Can't let it go to waste."  
"But he's a mammal!"  
"Doesn't matter to me."  
Kai took the liver from her and wrapped it in plastic sheet, which he tied to his belt.  
"How do you always have everything you need on you at all times?" she asked, incredulously.  
"Magic."  
"No, really."  
"The sheet was in the car, I figured I'd swipe it."  
"You thief!" she laughed painfully.

They approached the car.  
"It's about time I took you to the hospital. You've been out far too long," Kai spoke.  
"Actually..."  
"You have to be kidding."  
"You two have been alluding to some secret society. I want to see it."  
"Hospital."  
"No."  
Kai rolled his eyes.  
"We were already at the building earlier, it's where I picked up the lion."  
"I want to go inside."  
"You might not leave alive."  
"I have to know. If this is how he managed to get out of everything, if this is where is friends in high places hide, I want to see it."  
"Think you can make it until tonight?"  
"How late?"  
"9 PM."  
"It'll be a struggle, but I'll try. I don't think I have any brain damage or internal bleeding, or else I would have already passed out."  
"Fine. I need to make a quick stop, replace some equipment, fix something up."  
"Are you taking me to your secret lair?"  
"Can you make two thousand six hundred flights of stairs, first down and then up?"  
"What the fuck?"  
"Then no, you're waiting outside."

The duo got back in the car and drove off; soon, the screams of the lion dropped off completely. They drove along the mountains quietly, until Kai parked along the side of the road. He removed a second handgun from his belt and gave it to Leora.  
"In case someone else comes before I do."  
"How long are you gonna be gone?"  
"An hour, maybe."  
He ran off up the mountainside and into the bunker; he leaped down the abyss to save time, landing with a very loud bang in just over two minutes. The first thing he did was fabricate a replacement vest. While the machine was working, he quickly cooked and ate the liver, stocked his other supplies, and began formulating a plan. The liver was unexpectedly horrendous, which Kai attributed to the lion's alcoholism, but it gave him both the time and energy to think. What would he tell the Court? They would ask questions, ones that would not be in his best interests to answer. 'Where is Denebola?', 'Why is he not here?', 'Why did you kill him?'. The trail of questions would eventually lead to a motion to expel him from the Court, which would then lead to them hunting him to the ends of the Earth until he was dead; Leora would be dead much sooner. The only way he could prevent it was by putting forth a convincing enough argument about why he killed the lion. It takes two members to put forth a motion; undoubtedly Arcturus would put one forth, but if he convinced everyone else that his actions were just, such that no one seconded Arcturus' motion, it would mean that the Court would have to proceed by trial, and there would be a lack of real evidence to prosecute. Except, of course, the outsider leopard that he would be bringing with him. There was an old bylaw, however, that he might be able to exploit…

In any case, it was risky. He would need Sirius' and Achernar's assistance. He would also need to convince the concierge in front not to tell anyone about Leora's presence. He donned his equipment and began his trek back to the surface. Once he had reunited with Leora, the time was already 4; it seemed that most of the day had gone into driving and lion hunting. Kai dialed Sirius' burner phone and waited for him to pick up.  
"Now's really not a good time, I'm in the middle of something."  
"Sirius, it's Procyon. This is urgent, I need you to make time."  
"Uhm… What's wrong?"  
"I killed Denebola and I need your help smuggling in an outsider. Get Achernar and meet me outside of the lodge."

* * *

 **A/N: I didn't sleep since the last chapter. I don't sleep well anymore, but hey, college students don't need more than twenty hours of sleep a week anyways. Got this one out in a decent time frame to boot. Happy Independence Day for the American readers. Hopefully it's all proofread. Maybe when this is posted I can finally get some sleep, but my idiot neighbors won't stop setting off fireworks. It hasn't been the Fourth of July for more than an hour and all I can hear are screeching and explosions.**

 **Also, I just figured out why half the guest reviews weren't showing up; I had to moderate them first. It took me twenty-two chapters and a little under four months to realize, but I finally did. I feel so stupid. Keep sending them in, now that I now how to make them appear.**

* * *

 **Oh boy, here I go padding my word-count again (I think it's what, 1000 words this time?). Now, I could rip off of VSauce like one of the reviews recommended, and make fun fact #22 about the Banach-Tarski Paradox, which states that if you divide an object into infinitely many pieces and put them back correctly, you end up with two exact replicas of the original object, but that's tacky. Instead, I plan on doing my own research.**

 **Fun Fact #22: Did you know that the larger a black hole is, the less dense it is? If you take the mass of the Earth and squeeze it down into a sphere with radius 8.87mm, it will degenerate into a black hole. Therefore, divide the Earth's mass by a sphere of such volume and you get 2*10^30 kg/m^3. The largest known black hole, S5 0014+81, has a mass 40 billion times that of our sun and a diameter that extends 47 times the distance from the sun to Pluto. If we divide it all out, the mean density of S5 0014+81 is about 12.02 grams/meter^3, or a hundred times less dense than air at sea level. The explanation for why is kind of lengthy, but in short, density is a function of 1/radius^3, but the Schwarzschild radius, which determines the black hole's event horizon, is a function of 1/radius. Therefore, the growth is quadratic. In theory, most of the inside of a black hole is empty vacuum, except for the infinitely dense point singularity at the center; it just averages out to make a finite number, since singularities are not three-dimensional objects. However, we'll never know for certain if this theory is true or not, since we can never look at the inside of a black hole.**

 **Fun Fact #23: Ever wonder why gold has a yellow color, whereas every other metal (except cesium, but that follows along with this explanation) has a silver color? Look no further, for relativistic quantum chemistry has the answer! The color of metals are primarily due to the absorption of light when an electron jumps from a _d_ orbital to an _s_ orbital. For most metals, the wavelength of light absorbed is outside of the visible spectrum, or in the ultraviolet wavelength. However, gold (and cesium) is special. It has a lot of electron shells, and is a very heavy element; the innermost _1s_ orbital electrons have to resist the repulsion of the outer electrons, as well as the force exerted by the nucleus. To do this, they travel fast. Really fast. 58% of the speed of light fast. By special relativity, they gain about 20% more mass; these electrons also affect the electrons in the outer shells, and the electrons experience what's called 'relativistic contraction', which means as an electron gains mass, its radius of orbit shrinks proportionally; as such, the electrons are very tightly bound around the nucleus. When an electron absorbs light to jump from _d_ to _s_ in gold, it absorbs it in the blue spectrum instead of the ultraviolet. The visible spectrum, minus blue, appears to us as gold.  
This is also the reason gold is very unreactive, or inert. The single electron in the outermost orbital is bound very tight, despite the fact that such a state in other elements would make them very reactive. It takes a lot of energy to knock it loose, so only extremely reactive substances such as _aqua regia_ can dissolve or otherwise react with gold.  
A similar effect is also why mercury is liquid at standard temperature and pressure.**


	26. Chapter XXII: The Confrontation

**7 PM  
Downhill of the Court Lodge  
Outside Zootopia**

A black sedan pulled up to the road at the base of the hill; before the car drove off, Sirius exited from the backseat with nothing short of fury on his face.  
"Took you long enough, Sirius."  
"You read the rules, Procyon. You read them. You know that everything you are doing is wrong."  
"Senator Cynewulf?" Leora asked, confused.  
"And you ask me to smuggle some…" Sirius started, ignoring Leora's statement, before glancing at her. "Woah, what happened with her?"  
"Denebola happened. She refuses to go to the hospital unless she sees the Court, and it occurred to me that she may be my only evidence to not getting exiled," Kai answered.  
"Denebola shouldn't have left in the first place, Antares was watching over him."  
"Antares wasn't studious enough, and look what happened."  
"Where did you leave Denebola; his body, in any case?"  
"He's not technically dead yet."  
"Where?"  
"A little over forty miles out, on a hill, wrapped around a tree."

Sirius covered his face with his paws and began quickly pacing.  
"Senator Cynewulf, I know you," Leora reiterated.  
"Great, and now she knows who I am."  
"Who cares," Kai retorted. "It's not like she's going to do anything about it. Where's Achernar, did you contact him yet?"  
"He's waiting for us at the entrance."  
"And the goat?"  
"He thinks that the newbie is Achernar's protege."  
"Good. Get her a mask and a robe, I still have to flesh out the details of this plan."  
"Care to enlighten me?"  
"They need two members to pass a motion into a vote. Denebola is Arcturus' protege and adopted son, so that's one member. All I have to do is convince everyone else I did the right thing by getting rid of the lion."  
"But then Arcturus will proceed by trial. When he finds out you brought the outsider and that she's only pretending to be Achernar's protege-"  
"If he finds out."  
"When, not if. If you plan on making this public knowledge to further your case, he'll find out."  
"It doesn't discredit her from being Achernar's protege."  
"Yes, but think: what does she bring to the Court? Last I checked, she's nothing special, or I would have known about her."  
"SWAT commander is a high ranking position."  
"Police Chief is the minimum we'd consider."  
"I'm not even a real ambassador, and yet you took me on."  
"That's different."  
"Great, all I need her to do is kill eight or nine mammals and scatter their brains across the city and we'll be good."  
"NO! You're missing the point! It's because you're a…" Sirius tossed a glance at Leora, who was glaring at him. "Actually, let's discuss this further with Achernar."

They trekked up the hill, with Kai supporting Leora on the way up. Achernar stood at the entrance, and he only stared at Leora as they approached.  
"What happened to her?" he asked.  
"Why does everyone talk about me like I'm not here?" Leora muttered.  
"Denebola beat her, apparently," Sirius explained. "Listen, she needs a mask and a robe, and we need to keep her a secret for as long as possible."  
"I don't know if we have any leopard masks."  
"Well, go look. Don't tell her anything, she's not really your protege," Sirius replied.  
"Meet up with us in the Court chamber after she's outfitted," Kai added, slowly handing Leora over to the giraffe; she could hardly reach his shoulders, and settled for supporting herself on his waist. "We left our robes and masks in one of the offices."  
"She can't walk on her own?" Achernar asked.  
"Broken leg. Get going, we have two hours; Arcturus doesn't know that Denebola's gone, and I want it to stay that way until the meeting starts."

They entered.  
"It's getting dark out," the goat spoke.  
"Darker the night, brighter the stars; listen, we don't really have a lot of time. Are there leopard masks?" Achernar answered.  
"What for?"  
"Protege."  
"What the hell happened to her?"  
"We ran into some trouble in the city; nothing too bad."  
"I hope she feels better then. Yeah, should be a couple down there at least."  
"Oh, and I have a favor to ask."  
"What kind?"  
"Don't let Arcturus know yet; let us tell him."  
"Sure thing."  
When they passed the lobby, they parted; Kai and Sirius went to retrieve their raiment, while Achernar and Leora went to the storage to find her something that would fit.

"So, what's the plan? You can't honestly expect Arcturus to just breeze through your trial, and that's assuming you manage to convince the rest of the Court not to indict you."  
"I have a trick up my sleeve."  
"It had better be a good one."  
They reached the office where they had stored their vesture, and donned it quickly before changing direction for the chamber. They passed two others on the way there, neither of which Sirius greeted. When they arrived in the chamber, they took a seat near the entrance.  
"Now, we wait," Kai muttered, deep in thought.  
"Your plan doesn't sound very thought-out."  
"It is."  
"I sure hope so. If not, you'll be the third protege of mine that failed the Court. Considering you killed Arcturus' adopted son, he's going to be pissed. He'll probably kick me out, too."  
"If he does, what will happen to the mantle of Sirius?"  
"The Court will just nominate a new one."  
"Has it ever happened before, where the Court had to nominate a new member?"  
"Well, yeah. Some die unexpectedly: murder, health problems, what have you. Sometimes they can't get a protege in time. So, the Court decides who comes next in line."  
Several minutes passed.  
"Why is it that I haven't noticed very many female members? Vega, sure, but why a distinctive lack?"  
"Idle conversation already, huh? I don't really know what you're getting at, maybe thirty-five percent of the court is of the other gender. You probably haven't noticed because we hide behind these robes and masks, and sexual dimorphism would be hard for an inexperienced human to differentiate under such conditions."  
"Or maybe it's because they haven't been showing up to the meetings I've been showing up to?"  
Sirius paused.  
"It just occurred to me that you might be right."  
"I usually am."  
"In any case, tonight should be a big meeting, at least half the Court should be showing up."  
"How do you know? Messenger pigeon?"  
"No, smoke signal," Sirius answered sarcastically. "We have phones, complex communications lines, email, telegraph, et cetera. Give us some credit."  
" _Dear Secret Society,_ " Kai began poetically, yet mockingly. " _We are having a large gathering today. Please show up if you can, while we discuss important matters._ _Signed_ _, Arcturus and Company._ "  
Sirius stifled a laugh.  
"Not quite like that; let's just say that there are a lot of important mammals that subscribe to the _Astronomer's Catalog_."  
"You hide it in code? Why not just use an encrypted communications network?"  
"That's expensive and dangerous to contract outside help for, and we don't have anyone in the Court that feels like setting one up. What we have works."  
"One of these days, it's going to stop working."  
"Don't bother, it's not worth your time."  
"I didn't say I was going to."

Twenty minutes of idle conversation later, Achernar and Leora came through the doors; Sirius flagged them down, and they sat together.  
"Who else is here?" Achernar asked, glancing around.  
"Adhara, Mimosa, Gacrux, Avior, Alphard, and some others; none of the big players have showed up yet."  
"So what is this place?" Leora questioned intently.  
Sirius sighed.  
"Procyon, remind me again, why did you bring her?"  
"Primarily, because she wanted to come. Second, she could help me not die."  
"Right. Okay, listen carefully, leopardess-"  
"Leora," she corrected.  
"Leora, right. Listen carefully, Leora: you get three questions-"  
"Oh damn Sirius, remember those pills I'm giving you?" Kai interrupted.  
"You'd better not say what I think you're about to say."  
"...I suddenly forgot how to make them."  
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"  
"It might jog my memory if you-"  
"Fine, ask away." Sirius leaned very heavily on his fist. "This extortionist really has my balls on a tight leash."  
"What is this place?" Leora asked again.  
"The Astral Court. The secret society of Zootopia's elite; the most powerful mammals in the land, so to speak, are all here."  
"So this is how Linus got off free. Brings a whole new meaning to 'friends in high places'."  
"Hey, I never liked Denebola, don't blame me."  
"Why do you keep calling him that?"  
"We're all named after stars. I'm Sirius,-"  
"We know you're serious, why else would you-" Achernar began, in jest.  
"Would you fucking shut up?" Sirius slapped the giraffe. "I'm Sirius, the giraffe is Achernar, the ambassador is Procyon, and you are wearing the mask of Capella."  
"Why form the society?" Leora asked.  
"That involves some truths that I won't divulge; to do so would be forbidden, since you aren't actually going to be a member of our little club. As simply as I can put it, without unnecessary details: we exist to steer society in a better direction. Any event you can think of, we orchestrated."  
"Bellwether?"  
"Yes."  
"Why? What good could that possibly do?"  
"My predecessor was in charge of that little project. Now that he is no longer with us… well… I can't say what his motivations were; however, know this: nothing we do is without purpose."  
"What about Linus sneaking out and attacking me in the middle of the night?"  
"That doesn't count."  
"Why not?"  
"He wasn't acting in the interests of society, and he was disobeying the court."  
"No true Scotsman, huh?" Kai interjected, laughing.  
"What does that mean?" Leora queried.  
"If I'm not mistaken," Achernar responded, "The 'no true Scotsman' fallacy is a fallacy in which someone, after having their favored group criticized, redefines what it means to be a part of said group to deflect unfavorable examples."  
"Who made you king of the smarts?" Sirius asked, irritated.  
"The books downstairs."  
"Downstairs?" Leora inquired.  
"Can't say," Achernar spoke. Sirius nodded.  
"Kai?"  
"I'm going to agree with them on this one, sorry; if my plan works out, perhaps they will tell you sometime next week."  
"You don't actually plan on making her a member, do you?" Sirius whined.  
"I hate it when you make that noise," Kai groaned.  
"Yeah, I want some free choice in my protege," Achernar protested.  
"And you will have it. No, I plan on a Court vote."  
"There aren't any free spots though," Sirius stated.  
"None that you know of."  
"Behold, the almighty Procyon, with vast, infinite knowledge of past, present and future!" Sirius mocked.  
Kai rolled his eyes and sat back, waiting for the meeting to begin.

An hour passed of Leora constantly barraging Sirius with questions, and the wolf trying his best to dodge them unsuccessfully before being required to answer. More and more mammals began pouring into the large auditorium as the time approached 9. The room was nearly roaring with conversation by the time the meeting was supposed to commence. However, nothing happened.

Fifteen minutes past the start time, Arcturus took the stage.  
"I suppose I should get this session under way, despite the fact that my protege seems to be missing. Antares?"  
No response.  
"Well, perhaps they will arrive shortly. Our primary task is reorganizing the drug trade. Three issues: who will run it, where we will set up the farm and refinery, and how we will finance the operation. As it stands, the police tore down Flaunder's Flower Farm, and burned the fields with it. Antares should still-"  
The doors burst open, and Antares came through quickly.  
"Speak of the devil," Arcturus muttered. "Antares, you still have seeds for the flower, correct?"  
"Huh? Oh, yeah." The kangaroo quickly hopped to an empty seat.  
"Where's Denebola?"  
"Is he not here?"  
"Where were you?"  
"I had to deliver a paper to the medical society."  
"You… left him alone?"  
"No, Procyon took him at around midday."  
"Took him where?"  
"I… don't know, but he didn't take him in a friendly way."  
"How did he take him?"  
"Erm… Shot him in the leg and dragged him out."

Arcturus began to tremble as the majority of the audience gasped quietly.  
"Procyon!" he shouted. "Where. Is. My. Son."  
"He won't be bothering us anymore."  
"WHERE IS HE?!"  
"I took him for a long walk; you see, Ant-"  
"I don't care what happened, I want my son. Where did you take him?"  
"In time, he will die."  
Arcturus shook with rage, but his next words were spoken with utter clarity.  
"Motion to have Procyon exiled."  
"I have a right to speak my case before any motions are passed," Kai yelled.  
"You killed him, your rights are null and void!"  
"Antares failed to keep a watchful eye on Denebola; he escaped this morning into the city and performed a most heinous crime. This morning, he broke into a random leopard's home, beat her, broke multiple bones, crippled her, and then raped her. He then decided he wasn't satisfied; no, far from it. He had previously enlisted Antares' help to alter the leopardess' medical records to include clinical depression, and before he left her apartment this morning, he tied her up in a noose and left her hanging for dead."  
"A startling accusation," a Court member from the opposite end of the audience spoke out. "But do you have proof?"  
"You lack proof of such an accusation!" Arcturus screamed. "You are only trying to selfishly save your hide!"  
"I have proof; in fact, I brought it here with me."  
"Take it to the stage," someone shouted.  
"Procyon, what are you doing?!" Sirius hissed.  
"Trust me, I have a plan. Leora?" Kai whispered.  
"You need me to go up?" she replied. He nodded.

Kai helped Leora up, and began to walk her down the steps towards the stage.  
"Who's this? Capella? I don't recall there being a new protege," Arcturus sneered.  
The pair reached the stage.  
"The victim of Denebola's assault," Kai announced, before helping Leora remove her mask and starry cloak. The members of the Court gasped loudly when they saw her bruised, disfigured form. "Antares will back my story."  
"This isn't the first time the lion attacked me either," Leora mentioned.  
"SILENCE!" Arcturus commanded.  
"She will speak," Kai retorted.  
"Three years ago, I'm told around the time the lion became a part of this club, he got drunk and… sexually assaulted me. I eventually freed myself, which is how he lost his eye, and went to seek help. I got blamed for instigating an attack on my superior, and dishonorably discharged." She glared at Arcturus. "I guess I finally know how he managed to get out of any charges."  
"Arcturus, we were told Denebola lost his eye from a misfire with live ammunition!" Someone piped up.  
"Yeah, and you never mentioned anything of this nature!" Another spoke.  
"What does it matter!" Arcturus roared. "Does this warrant bringing in an outsider?! Or killing a member of the court?! Motion to have Procyon exiled!"

No one else spoke.  
"Looks like you'll have to proceed by trial," Kai spoke smugly.  
"So, leopardess," Arcturus began, walking up to them, ignoring Kai. "You are to blame for Denebola's death? Had you not complained, he would still be alive."  
"How dare you blame this on me!" she shouted at him.  
"I should kill you myself."  
"You'll have to go through me," Kai growled.  
"With pleasure; this was your plan, wasn't it?"  
Kai paused.  
"You knew you would lose a traditional trial, so you planned to use that ancient rule that, quite frankly, we should have already abolished, but didn't: trial by combat." Arcturus removed his robe and mask and casually tossed them to the side. "Last performed in the year 1356 by Acrux and Regor, if I'm not mistaken. You must be stupid to think you have a better chance at this than at a _trial de jure_."  
"Sirius!" Kai beckoned. The wolf ran down to the stage, and Kai reduced his voice to a whisper. "Take Leora back with you."  
"You can't be serious!" Sirius hissed quietly.  
"No, you're Sirius, remember?" Kai replied, chuckling.  
"He's a half-ton grizzly, you're a human! He'll maul you to death! I can't watch you get killed like this!"  
"Don't then; leave. Take her to the hospital."  
"I'm begging you, don't-"  
"Trust me."  
Sirius hesitated, before reluctantly complying.  
"Wait, Kai," Leora whispered.  
"Hmm?"  
"Why do you have to fight him? Do you really want to stay in this club so bad?"  
"Of course; I have untold influence over the city as long as I stay."  
"Don't be late to visit me."  
"An hour, no more," he promised.

As Sirius and Leora left, Kai and Arcturus moved as close to the center of the stage as they could, impeded by the Statue of Atlas at the true center.  
"What, you won't remove your robe?" Arcturus taunted.  
"Don't need to. This should be easy enough as-is."  
"So, what are the rules? Who presides?"  
"Everything goes; Achernar presides."  
"Everything goes," Arcturus laughed. "I weigh ten times what you do, my claws are three times as long, my jaws could crush a bowling ball if I wanted; arrogance is a sin, didn't your parents ever teach you that?"  
"So is wrath, but no one punished me yet."  
"Well, Achernar; at your signal," Arcturus shouted.

A long, uncomfortable silence before anything happened. Finally, Achernar shouted, "Begin!".  
Arcturus charged at Kai, instantly pouncing him; Kai managed to throw the bear over his head, but his foe landed on all fours and rushed again. The second time, Kai wasn't so lucky, being thrown from his feet and onto the ground. Arcturus began furiously swiping with his claws, and Kai was forced on the defensive, swatting them away. When the grizzly made a mistake and swung too deep, Kai rotated and kicked him in the side, knocking him off, before rolling and standing.

As Arcturus began to stand, Kai went on the offensive, and launched into a butterfly kick to the bear's snout. As he jumped, his very loose robes snagged, but not enough to stop his kick; it landed, albeit weaker than he would have wanted, staggering the bear slightly, but before he could follow up, a fist slammed into his chest. He fell flat on the ground, and would have been crushed by the bear that was falling after him, but managed to roll backwards and out of his enemy's path. Again, when he tried to stand, the robe got in his way. Arcturus again jumped after him; Kai decided to stand his ground, and thrust his fist out, striking the bear's chin.

They exchanged blows and grapples for a long time; every time Arcturus had an advantage, Kai would slither out with his unnatural agility, and every time Kai had the advantage, Arcturus would strong-arm him away. Kai's robe was slowly getting torn by the grizzly's massive claws, but he always managed to avoid taking any bad hits.

Arcturus put out a roundhouse; Kai bent backwards to avoid it, but when his opponent thrust his leg down, it knocked Kai to the floor. As Kai tried to get back up, Arcturus swiped with his claws; it barely grazed the man's neck, just above the protection of his vest, and just below the protection of his mask. Not deep enough to sever any major arteries, but deep enough where the bleeding would begin to hinder his performance if he couldn't wrap the fight up soon. He kicked the bear in the sternum, and stood quickly.

The bear nearly struck him, but Kai managed to kick him in the knee, staggering him. Arcturus' stamina seemed endless. The only way he would end this fight was to discard the robe and mask that were hindering his movement and vision. He was very displeased with this turn of events; he quickly tore his robes away, letting them fall to the floor. Arcturus paused his assault, baffled by the strange appearance of his opponent. Kai then untied the strap at the back of his head and let the porcelain mask fall to the ground, as well.

The whole crowd went silent in shock. Arcturus dropped his guard, eyes widening, reluctant to continue. Kai took the opportunity to rush the bear down, and hit him in the ribs with crushing force. Arcturus staggered several feet, and before he could regain his footing, he was struck again. Blow after blow, Arcturus kept falling back towards the statue of Atlas. When his back hit the statue, he instinctively rolled away; Kai's fist dented the statue considerably.  
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR WHAT DENEBOLA DID TO HER!" Kai roared, landing a kick on the bear's thigh, causing him to crumple to the floor. Kai attempted to crush Arcturus beneath his boot, but the bear kept scampering away.  
"You already killed my son, what more do you want from me?!" Arcturus responded, avoiding the man's blows. Where the man's foot landed, it cracked the wooden stage. Eventually, Kai managed to catch the bear's arm, and deftly broke it. Arcturus screamed in agony.  
"I want you to suffer like she did." Kai grabbed a random syringe from his vest and jammed it into Arcturus' broken arm. Immediately, the arched his back and began producing an unearthly shriek, clutching his wrist.  
"I gave you the benefit of the doubt," Kai continued, addressing the audience. "You walk like men, you talk like men, and you try to act like men, but you're nothing more than animals." Kai donned his original mask, turned on his wolf's disguise, and began stumbling towards the exit. "Self-serving, greedy, dumb animals."  
Numerous smaller mammals blocked his path in an attempt to get a closer look at him, and he easily cast them aside as he made his way to the doors.  
"STOP HIM!" Arcturus shouted, amidst pained yelps. Several larger mammals got out of their seats and began to make their way to where Kai was.  
He pulled his handgun from his vest and fired three shots into the air. Silence and stillness instantly overtook the auditorium, save for Arcturus' pained grunts and movements.  
"If anyone moves… I will shoot," Kai stated loudly, breathing heavily between clusters of words. Satisfied that no one was moving, he turned to leave.  
 _Looks like the bear really did a number on you.  
_ Kai whipped around and shot at the source of the noise; the bullet sailed through the air and into the opposite wall.  
 _You should be careful with that thing, you could take somebody's eye out.  
_ Kai didn't have the strength to respond. Instead, he proceeded out the door, casting his torn robe aside. He went up the stairs and through the empty lobby.

As he descended the hill, he half expected someone to follow him, but no such thing happened.  
 _Imagine what's going on in there right now._  
Kai entered Rufus' car, and proceeded into the city.  
 _Are you sure you're good to drive? You're losing blood, and he beat the shit out of you._  
"He didn't beat me," Kai stated aloud.  
 _Yeah, hard to do that when you stick him with the same poison you stuck that police dog with.  
_ "Was that what I grabbed?"  
 _What now? You don't have enough supplies on you right now_ _for sufficient_ _first aid._  
"I'll go to the hospital."  
 _They can't treat humans._  
"For someone who can read my mind, you're not doing a very good job."  
The apparition sighed.  
 _Of course you're going to see the leopard._  
"Bingo."  
 _I would highly advise against it. Rest for a few hours at least, you lost a lot of blood when he nearly cut your throat. You could_ _also_ _probably use a shot of Intradermin, a couple stabilizers, and an IV drip of-_  
"When did you become a doctor?"  
 _You already know_ _everything I'm spouting_ _, it was in all of those medical texts you read. This is textbook internal bleeding. You're a super man, but you're no Superman._ _Everything up to this point: stupid luck that you didn't face against a competent opponent. Maybe this will be your wake-up call._ _  
_"How long could I last without meds?"  
 _Well, best guess is an hour,_ _but again, you already know that_ _. After that, no telling what will happen. Those other guys that I locked up might break ou_ _t, and you really don't want them shouting at you again;_ _you might lose it_ _._  
"I was wondering why I was only hearing you as of late." Kai smirked. "Vitya, always looking out for me."  
 _Someone has to_ _look out for you, and it sure as hell isn't going to be her_ _._  
"Leora is more capable than you'd think."  
 _I wasn't talking about the leopard._

Kai passed the hospital and continued into Tundratown; his destination, Rufus' abode.  
 _After you get patched up, you'll need a plan._  
"Why?"  
 _They know you're human._  
"I could always—"  
 _I'll stop you right there, killing_ _all of them_ _is not a solution to this problem._  
"What do you suggest?"  
 _Think about the alternatives._  
"What alternatives?"  
No response; the specter was gone.  
"Fucking Vitya, always abandoning me when I need him most."  
 _Nothing you can't pull yourself out of._  
Kai rolled his eyes as he pulled up onto Rufus' street and parked on the side. The car had a fair amount of blood coating the inside, but he trusted the wolf wouldn't mind, not with what he was paid. He would have to remember to reimburse the canine for the cleaning costs, however.

He exited into the brisk winter winds, and began walking the way to the mountains. The night seemed darker than usual, and he wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, or if it was the fatigue and blood-loss that prevented his eyes from adjusting correctly. If he couldn't get back soon, his situation would quickly become problematic. He didn't feel that his injuries were too severe back when he received them, but now that he was suffering the aftereffects, he realized that his condition was bad, and worsening by the minute.

He managed to exit the city, leaving only a minimal trail of blood in the snow, but now he was practically weaving when he walked. If ever there was a time to make a dash, it was now; dangerous, since if he tripped it would be game over, but if he didn't hurry, he would pass out anyways. He sprinted as fast as he could, ignoring the pain in his legs, his ribs, and his back.

Miraculously, he reached the stairwell to his abode, but now his vision was dim, and he was hobbling; going down the stairs in the traditional way would take an hour at least, by which time he would be unconscious; however, if he jumped and passed out mid-fall, he risked landing incorrectly and killing himself. He propped himself up on the railing and fell off on the other side.  
 _That was a mistake, you idiot._  
"Not… now..." he struggled to say, air blasting in his face as he fell at terminal velocity through the shaft in the Earth's crust.  
 _Turn around._ _F_ _eet first._ _N_ _ow._  
"I'll… lose… speed…"  
 _What good is speed if you land head-first, jackass._  
Kai processed the statement and, realizing it was correct, reoriented. Although he lost some velocity, he now stood a much higher chance of landing feet-first in the event he passed out.

He could now see the ground coming up, very far away; maybe another thirty seconds of falling.  
 _I hate to be that guy, Garrett, but…_  
"Don't you dare..."  
 _I'm gonna have to pull the plug._  
"We'll die."  
 _Don't worry,_ _it will_ _only_ _last_ _for a minute._ _It's a good thing the medical quarters are one of the first rooms out the stairwell, right?_  
As the ground approached, closer and closer, his vision faded to black.

* * *

 **Zootopia General Hospital  
Downtown Zootopia  
11 PM**

Leora was booked into a room, had her wounds bandaged and casts set, and given an IV line of painkillers among several other medications; surgery to fix her left eye was scheduled within the next hour. She asked that the senator stayed with her until Kai came; he promised it would only be an hour, but it had already been over an hour and a half with no response. She glanced into the corner of the room where the senator sat, eyes glued to his phone screen.

"Senator Cynewulf?" she asked.  
He sighed.  
"Just… call me Ian."  
"Fine; Ian, any news from Kai?"  
"Nothing. I knew he was an idiot from the get-go; no one wrestles a bear except another bear, or someone bigger."  
She leaned back into the bed.  
"Shit. This is bad," Ian stated.  
"Is he alright?!"  
"It's not that. I just got a message from the court. Meeting tomorrow, attendance mandatory, and—Wait, why am I telling you this?"  
"Just talk."  
He rolled his eyes.  
"Mandatory meeting tomorrow, and you two are wanted mammals; they found him out, oh no. Damn, damn, damn! I'm also getting about a thousand texts a minute asking where I am and where I took you."  
"Wanted, as in by them, or as in fugitives from the law?"  
"By them, but you aren't getting far either way. Seeing as he's wanted, too, I'd assume he got away."  
"Meaning he's not dead!" Leora let out a sigh of relief.  
"He could still be dead; says here Arcturus cut his throat and beat him before he managed to get away, but not at the expense of the bear's entire arm."  
"His arm? What do they mean?"  
"Toxin of unknown origin; Antares and Atria are attempting to figure it out, and they had to sedate him from the pain, as he wouldn't stop thrashing."  
"It's only been an hour and a half, how do they already have so much information?"  
"They work fast if they want to, and seeing as they figured him out, I imagine they're scrambling at the speed of light. Let me tell you, a thousand mammals with the city at their fingertips and a common motive can get anything done in hours."  
"Why haven't they found me yet?"  
"I presume they didn't bother looking for you yet; they're just hoping you incidentally fall into their hands while they look for him."  
"But he's injured, too; why aren't they checking the hospitals?"  
"Because no mammalian hospital can treat him."

Ian's phone began to rumble. He refrained from answering it for three rings, before finally picking up.  
"Hello?… Oh, Achernar, thank God; what's happening over there?… I'm WHAT?… Fine, I'll be right there." He hung up, before giving a very solemn look to Leora.  
"What's wrong?" she asked warily.  
"I'm wanted at the chambers immediately. This may or may not be the last time we meet, but if it is, it's been a pleasure."  
"Wait, don't leave!"  
"If I don't arrive in the next fifteen minutes, they've told me they will assume I'm helping in your escape; meaning, they'll have me killed."  
"I… I don't want to be alone."  
"I'm sure he'll be here soon enough."  
Ian left hastily through the door.

* * *

 **A/N: Delayed several times because of rewrites. Speaking of rewrites, I'm going to rewrite the first six or so chapters, and then make minor adjustments to some later ones to fix any continuity errors that might come up. It's not just because of the reviews, I've actually been planning this for a while, but didn't have much motivation or idea of how to go about it until I got some pointers. I know this is the second time, but I want to get it right. I might delay the next couple of chapters while I work on that, but we'll see.**

 **Hopefully I proofread properly and managed to get everything cleaned up, but I haven't slept since Tuesday, and I haven't eaten anything substantial since Monday, since I've been juggling classes, internship stuff, and backbreaking manual labor in preparation for the winter. It's hardly July and I'm already splitting and hauling logs for the snowy season; it doesn't help that it's like 35 deg C and 60% humidity.**

 **Also, this little aside is a response to the review about railguns; I looked it up again just as a refresher, dusted off my physics texts, and thought it would be a cool tidbit to write about in this A/N.  
Railguns are just like any other projectile weapon (or thing at all) in the sense that they obey Newton's laws of motion; primarily, the third law, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the electromagnetic repulsion on the projectile is the same magnitude as the force experienced by the firing armature. A good real-life example is with magnets: if you stick one repelling end next to another, the second moves, but you feel resistance in the first.  
The second law states that a force F is equal to an object's mass M times its acceleration A. Acceleration is the final velocity minus initial velocity divided by the time interval. I reran the calculation for acceleration instead of inertia, and the following were my results.  
First, I assumed that the projectile would be accelerated in .0001 seconds, which is a rough estimate for a railgun's acceleration time interval.  
F = 11kg * (.02*c)/.0001 seconds = 6.6*10^11 Newtons of force. We can now plug this backwards for the recoil on a half-ton Kai holding the railgun, this time solving for velocity.  
6.6E11 = 500kg * (V meters/second)/.0001 seconds - an initial speed of 132,000 meters/second. This is, of course, only accurate if it was a purely elastic rebound in a vacuum, but seeing as his bones would break from such a large force, and that there would be air resistance and friction, the actual speed would be lower. However, something cool: divide .02c by 132,000 m/s and you get 45.4, which is almost exactly 500 kg divided by 11 kg, the ratio of their masses. The error is just rounding error.**

* * *

 **Someone asked that I do the Birthday Paradox for the fun fact. Not an actual paradox, but it's called that because it's extremely counterintuitive.**

 **Fun Fact #23: Did you know that if you have 23 people in a room, there's a 50% chance that two of them share a birthday?**

 **Now, I assume since they requested it, they already knew it and want some sort of proof behind it. Maybe I'm reading into it wrong, but the proof is a simple one, good for demonstrating statistics, and I didn't take discrete math for nothing.  
** **Two assumptions: First, no one birthday has a higher probability than any other (i.e. no higher chance of being born in summer). Second, no leap years (365 days only). I'll start off by counting the chance that people in a room will not share a birthday, and then take the complement.  
** **First, assume I walk into an empty room. How many days can my birthday fall on, out of 365, such that it doesn't fall on anyone else's birthday? The answer, is 365/365, since no matter what day it falls on, there's no one else to share it with.  
** **Someone else walks in; how many days can their birthday fall on, out of 365? The answer is 364, since I'm already in the room, and if their birthday falls on mine, we will share it. So, 364/365. Together, the chance that we don't share a birthday is (365/365) * (364/365).  
** **Now a third person walks in. Their birthday must fall on one of the 363/365 days such that they do not share a birthday with the remaining two. The total chance of the three of us not sharing a birthday is (365/365) * (364/365) * (363/365).  
** **See the pattern? Every person that walks in reduces the numerator by one. The mathematical formulation for this, in simplest terms (Doesn't work past 365 people):**

 **365!/[(365-n)! * (365^n)]**

 **Where n is the number of people in the room.** **But this is the chance of NOT sharing a birthday; we want the chance of sharing one. So, the law of complements helps: the total sum of all outcomes adds up to 1 (i.e. chance of flipping heads on a two-sided fair coin is .5, chance of tails is .5, sum is 1). So, if we want the possibility other than not sharing a birthday, which is sharing one, we subtract the above from one.  
** **If you want to copy-paste this formula into something like WolframAlpha:**

 **1 - [(365!)/((365-x)!(365^x))]**

 **Plotting this function shows that 23 people have a 50% chance of sharing a birthday, 70 people have a 99.9% chance of sharing a birthday, 365 people have a (100-(1.45*10^-155))% chance of sharing a birthday, and it only becomes guaranteed at 366 by the Pigeonhole Principle.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #24: You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than a spider.**


	27. Chapter XXIII: The Missing Leopard

**25 Miles Outside of Zootopia**

Kai's vision slowly faded back in; he was lying prone at the bottom of the massive stairwell. As the rest of his senses came back, he first noticed that there was an immense pain in his face, ankles, knees, and lower back. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying in a massive pool of blood. Checking the time revealed that he was unconscious for a little over two hours.

He tried to stand, but found that he couldn't muster the strength to do so; instead, he sat up. He suspected that he hadn't actually fallen _unconscious_ for the entire two hours; rather, he probably had some sort of amnesia after being in a state of stupor. It was the only thing that could explain why his bleeding was stanched: at the rate things were headed, he would have probably bled out in the two hours that had passed. In addition, were he unconscious, it would be a virtual impossibility for him to become as injured as he currently was; rather, he would have probably broken his joints, perhaps smashed his face as well. No, he would have been much worse off had he fallen unconscious.

He half expected some voice of confirmation for his theories, to hear Vitya shouting at him, but no such thing came; eerie silence was the only thing other than darkness that surrounded him. He began his crawl towards the medical quarters: he needed to start an IV drip and properly bandage his wound. It was a slow and arduous task, and the cold metal floor sapped the strength out of him the entire way there.

Eventually, he managed to reach a drawer of medical supplies; a shot of adrenaline was enough to get him on his feet, and he fished out the rest of the necessary supplies, casting aside his equipment into a disorderly pile by the door. He sat on a small bed in the room; after properly bandaging his neck and starting the IV line, he lied down, deep in thought.

He figured that he would need two bags of saline, a bag of artificial blood, and a couple shots of panacea for good measure. At the maximum rate that they could flow, it would take at least three hours. Another hour to get his gear ready, and perhaps another after that to make it into the city. Five hours minimum before he would be able to assess the situation he got himself into. If the Court were looking for Leora and him, which they most likely were, they would be able to find her in much less time than that, especially considering that they knew she was injured and likely to seek medical attention. He could potentially skip gearing up, but it would be extremely risky.

He waited the three hours, swapping the IV bags when they ran empty; as soon as he confirmed that he used every medication that he needed, he made his way up the stairs. It was an extremely laborious process; partly because he was still weak from just having treated himself, and partly because his legs still ached from landing incorrectly. Roughly forty-five minutes later, he was far enough up the shaft where his phone registered a signal. First, he dialed Leora, but the phone rang out with no pickup. He then dialed Nick.

Four rings later, the fox groggily answered.  
"H...hello?"  
"Nick, I need to ask you a favor."  
"Now? Are you serious?"  
"Fifth task."  
"I hate you."  
"It's simple, I promise. I want you to go to the Central Hospital, and check on a leopard named Leora. You might recognize her, she busted you out of jail a little while ago."  
"And then what?"  
"After you check on her, call me back and let me know how she is."  
"… That's it? No catch?"  
"No catch."  
"If it's so easy, why don't you do it?"  
"Well, I would, but unfortunately, I had a bit of a tumble."  
"You're practically invincible, how could you have had a 'bit of a tumble'?"  
"Well, when you fall six miles down a repurposed mineshaft and pass out before you land, you tend to injure something."  
"… Right."

Nick hung up, but Kai didn't descend; rather, he kept ascending up the last few flights of stairs until he reached the top. He exited through the vault door into the outside world. While he waited for the fox's call, he wanted a moment to enjoy the fresh air; it wouldn't help to worry if there was nothing he could do about it.

Nearly an hour and a half later, his phone rang; it was Nick.  
"What's the status?" Kai asked eagerly.  
"She's not here."  
"What? Where did she go?!"  
"Desk says she checked out and signed all the papers about two hours ago."  
"She can't have left alone, she had a broken leg."  
"Hold on..." There was a brief pause as he heard a small conversation on the other end. "The desk says she left with some friend."  
Kai could hardly contain his rage; he nearly crushed the phone in his palm, but refrained. It could be possible, however unlikely, that she left with Bogo.  
"Thank you, Nick."

He hung up and quickly dialed Bogo. Nearly immediately, the buffalo picked up.  
"Where is Leora?" Kai interrogated.  
"I should ask you the same question! I called the hospital an hour after you dragged a squad car on your wild chase, and nothing!"  
"So you don't have her?" he spoke through gritted teeth.  
"No; I take it by your tone and the fact that you're asking, you don't have her either. Is this a problem, or are you merely curious as to where she is?"  
"Nothing I can't fix."  
He hung up again.

Kai reentered his abode and began his descent; he decided against leaping down, since doing so would risk aggravating his injuries. Instead, he took the relatively slow climb down the stairs. The entire way down, he couldn't help but think about what the Court would be doing with her; her knowledge about anything related to him or people in general was extremely limited. He came to the conclusion that they would most likely use her as a means to get to him. He would have to confront them.

As he reached the base level, he grabbed his equipment previously discarded in the medical bay. If he wanted to return to the Court lodge, he would most likely have to do so during the day, and wait until the night meeting to attempt a rescue. Doing so would mean he would have to pack light, no more than a dart gun at most, and steal a disguise from the storage. He washed the uniform of blood, before freeing his vest from anything unnecessary. After finding the appropriate dart gun, he manufactured several darts full of the pain serum for negotiations, in addition to tranquilizer darts for general purpose use; if he wanted to make demands, lethal darts wouldn't get him far, and tranquilizer darts even less so.

After eating, and checking that the rest of his clothing was in good shape and not suspiciously stained red, he checked the time: 8 am. He could set out. He donned his combat boots, gauntlets, vest, mask, and overcoat, before flipping the switch on his disguise box. Nothing happened. He tapped it gently, before turning it off and back on. Still nothing. He unclipped it from his belt to inspect the device; it was then that he noticed a hairline crack running along the length of the box's display. After removing the back panel, he saw that the insides were mostly bent or crushed. He could have theoretically grabbed a second one from the armory and repaired it, swapping out the memory chip from this box to the other one, but the chip was broken in half with one half attached to the board, and the second half rattling loosely throughout the assembly. If he wanted to get a disguise, he would have to do it from scratch.  
"Of everything that could have padded my fall..." he groaned. Getting through the city would be a lot harder.

He grabbed a second box from the armory anyways and spent five hours getting it into working order, making slight modifications to the original design. He took it with him along with a blood vial, with the idea that if he bumped into a wolf, he could take a blood sample with which to program the device. In theory, any human-sized mammal would work, but the skewed proportions would be even further askew if he were to choose another species.

When the clock read 1:30, he was finally ready to set out. Most members of the Court arrived between two to two and a half hours in advance; that left him with five hours at the most to get to the lodge, steal a disguise, preferably get some wolf's blood, attempt to locate Leora and, if all else failed, talk to Sirius or Achernar. He began the arduous climb again, quickly reaching the top.

* * *

It took Kai a little under an hour to reach the outside of the lodge, avoiding all contact with any mammals. His next big problem would be getting inside. A quick glance through the doors revealed that the goat was standing guard, as always. It would be practically impossible to walk through without getting noticed, and it would be infeasible to expect the goat to not notify anyone of his presence. He drew his dart gun and waited patiently.

Half an hour later, a lodge groundskeeper exited through the doors. Kai took the opportunity to shoot a tranquilizer through the large gap at the goat; him swatting at his neck was a good sign that Kai hit his mark. Several seconds later, the target slumped over; moments after that, the groundskeeper walked around the corner of the lodge. Kai took the opportunity to rush inside. He quickly plucked the dart from the goat's neck, before slumping him over the desk in a casual manner; no one would think twice if they saw him in the pose he was in. He then went silently, as fast as he could, towards the robe storage.

His previous robe was torn to ribbons in the fight with Arcturus, but there were plenty of spares to go around. All he had to do was find one that fit, as well as a mask. He quickly found a robe, but when it came to masks, he was torn. He wasn't sure which ones were taken, and which ones weren't; on top of that, he was fairly certain someone would notice if a new face appeared. However, there was one mask that he knew wouldn't be missed, one that belonged to a wolf of similar stature; all he had to do was hope that Sirius left his mask in storage there, instead of elsewhere.

Five minute of searching revealed that the senator had placed his mask in the very far end of the room. After retrieving it, Kai fastened it around his head and proceeded out of the door. As he exited, he saw several other robed mammals walking down the same hallway. They greeted him, and he nodded, quickly walking the other direction.

He searched every branching hallway on the floor, but found mostly empty rooms, storage closets, an empty jail cell with steel bars, and the odd couple of offices. He went up a floor and resumed his search. Again, nothing. He was left with two options: the first was to continue going up floors into the lodge housing, where the doors were all locked, and it was extremely unlikely for anyone other than Court members or staff to reside, or he could go to the museum on the basement floor in search of Achernar.

Kai began his walk towards the elevator that lead to the basement floor. As he arrived at the elevator, the door opened; as he walked in, a wolf passed him on the way out. Kai hit the lowest button and turned to face the doors, right as the wolf turned to face him.  
"Erm… I think you grabbed the wrong mask," he stated. After a moment of staring, his eyes went wide. Kai grabbed him in a headlock and dragged him into the elevator.  
"Sirius, why are you at the lodge at this hour?" Kai asked, releasing the wolf as the elevator began its descent.  
"You shouldn't be here!" Sirius responded urgently.  
"I have to find Leora."  
"Is she not at the hospital?"  
"No. 'Checked out by some friend'. Have you seen her?"  
"I wouldn't know. They have me on practical lock-up here. I'm not allowed out, and they don't tell me anything, because they think I'm helping you hide."  
"Shit, I have to find her. Where's Achernar?"  
"He's out on an archaeological dig some hundred miles away; he think there are human remains, and he plans on having them transferred here. Court prioritizes that over finding you, believe it or not."  
"What were you doing down there, then?"  
"He asked me to do some translating, since I'm stuck here anyways. Annoying, really; but seriously, you shouldn't be here. They're looking for you, and I don't know what they plan on doing once they find you."

The elevator arrived at the bottom, and the pair exited.  
"I'll deal with that problem once I get to it. First, I need to find her. Oh, before I forget, hold out your arm."  
Sirius held out his arm.  
"What do you need my arm—OW!" Kai jabbed him with the needle on the blood vial, drawing a small sample. "What the hell!"  
The man didn't answer; instead, he detached the box from his belt, opened it up, and began fidgeting with several of the components inside, dripping a small drop of blood onto one of the components. Sirius rubbed his forearm gingerly, as he tried to come up with a reply.  
"Is that… what is that?" he asked.  
"Disguise."  
"Why do you need my blood? You could have been more specific when you mentioned what you were going to do."  
"But then you would have refused… alright, that should do it." He hooked the box back up and removed Sirius' mask, before flipping the switch on the box. After several seconds, he had the appearance of a brown wolf with amber eyes; notably, the defects of the previous box weren't present, as expected from the extra work he put into repairing and modifying it.  
"Alright, I'll be the first to ask: first, why do you need a new disguise?"  
"The old one broke when I landed on it."  
"How clumsy can you get?"  
"I passed out."  
"Right. Second: why does that look nothing like either me or you?"  
"It's designed to mimic humans; naturally, it wouldn't translate one to one. I imagine if I fiddled with the dials for a while, I could eventually come back to the old appearance."  
"Actually, keep this one for a while. I imagine the Court will be looking for either a human, or a gray wolf with mismatched eyes."

They stopped in the middle of a walkway.  
"So why were you leaving?" Kai asked. "You said you're supposed to be locked in here."  
"Oh, that. I was going to get some firewater. Sitting down here all day gets dreadful, especially if you're not into this stuff."  
Kai shook his head, and began to walk away.  
"Senator Cynewulf, drinking on the job. I wonder what the polls will say about this."  
"It doesn't matter," Sirius shouted after him. "Senators serve twenty year terms before reelection; seeing as about half the senate is in the Court, and they've all been reelected without fail, I don't think I'm going to have a problem."  
Kai paused, turning to face Sirius.  
"Do the public even play a part in choosing their leaders?"  
"Sure, the half that aren't in the Court don't get any help getting reelected, and we all campaigned fair and square the first time."  
"Twenty years… long commitment."  
"Staggered terms. It gives the illusion that they aren't stuck with us for too long."  
"Only slightly less dystopian than back in my day," Kai joked. "Say, you aren't allowed in the meeting, right?"  
"Technically no, why?"  
"I'll hold on to your mask, then. Don't leave, you'll throw my cover." He dropped the disguise, put the mask back on, and resumed his walk to the elevator.  
"If it means anything, I hope you find her."

Kai entered the lift and returned to the ground floor; when he exited, he noticed that the number of mammals was steadily increasing in the halls; checking the time revealed that the meeting would begin in a little under three hours. He shuffled along with the crowd into the chambers; if there was any chance of finding Leora, it would be during the meeting, provided they let information slip.

He took a seat in the far end of the theater, by far the least populated section; there were only five or six mammals in the vicinity, and none took a seat next to him. As the room filled, still no one took the seats adjacent his. Eventually, the bustling and shouting in the room quieted as Arcturus took the stage; his arm was in a sling, and he was hobbling slightly.

He waited for the noise to die down completely before speaking.  
"As stated in our communications, we will be postponing all business until we find Procyon. My soldiers report that he has not left the city; I can keep a perimeter securely, but I can't march in without drawing suspicion. It's up to you to find him. I take it since no one is up here that we have nothing yet?" he spoke, softer than usual but still in a booming voice.  
"I concluded the search of the hospitals; he's not there, nor in the surrounding vicinity," someone from the crowd announced. "I suspected as much, but it didn't hurt to fully check."  
"Fine," Arcturus replied. "Altair, have your agents reported anything?"  
"Nothing yet. I only have so many sweeping the city, though. I can confirm he isn't seeking refuge from the police, and he isn't hiding at the docks."  
"He was injured, he can't have gotten far!" Arcturus shouted.  
"Arcturus, understand that we are searching; I know the death of Denebola isn't easy, but you can't be blinded by vengeance. This is the first human that we've seen in over twenty-one hundred years, we can't let you do anything that would harm him."  
"I want to know what he did with my son; then, the Court can have him."  
Glances shifted around warily.  
"I took the liberty of searching Tundratown; nothing came up yet, but I've posted guards and private sec in case he does," someone stated.  
"I did the same with Savannah Central. Unless he's hiding in the city outskirts, he's not in the city," another mentioned.  
"Are you implying my soldiers are incapable?" Arcturus inquired defensively.  
"No, but think about it; why would he stay in the city, especially if he knows we're looking for him?"  
"He doesn't know that."  
"If he's smart, he'll suspect it."

Kai was tired of waiting around.  
"What of the leopard?" he asked from the crowd, throwing his voice to more closely match Sirius'. Several glances shifted toward him.  
"Sirius, you were forbidden from attending these meetings until such time that we found your protege," Arcturus berated.  
"Where is the leopard?"  
"Get out, Sirius."  
"He might be on to something, Arcturus," Altair mentioned. "If we can interrogate her, we could potentially find out where he might be hiding."  
"Precisely. So, where is she?" Kai urged.  
"GET OUT!" Arcturus shouted.  
"I'm curious, how did you get your arm fixed?"  
"Atria and Antares did nerve blocks; they say it'll be two weeks until I can use my arm, no thanks to your poor management skills."  
"Nerve blocks, huh?"  
Kai stood and began walking to the stage.  
"What, about to deliver a rousing speech, senator?" Arcturus stated, clearly irritated.  
"Think of it more as hostile negotiations."

Kai withdrew the dart gun from under his robe and shot Arcturus three times with the pain serum; once in each leg, and a third time in his chest. Nearly immediately, the bear collapsed and began writhing on the ground.  
"SIRIUS!" someone shouted from the crowd.  
"I suppose I should dispense with the formalities." He unfastened the mask and removed it, dropped his hood, and wiggled the mask in the air before dropping it on the stage floor; gasps sounded, followed by stark silence. "Sirius is still in the basement. Now, the leopard."  
A large rhinoceros in the first row charged at him; he reeled around and shot a dart into its shoulder, dropping him to the ground.  
"I have thirty-two more darts, and another thirty-five tranquilizers. I count fifty-three large mammals in the crowd. That leaves me with fourteen extra, and I don't need weapons to kill anyone smaller than a lion."  
"What do you want?" someone shrieked.  
"Are you daft? The leopard. Where is she?!" he shouted angrily.  
"I-"

"Perhaps I can remedy this. I am Rigel." A doe walked forth and removed her mask, revealing her face. "How about an exchange."  
"Why would I make an exchange? I have the upper hand."  
"Ah, it would seem that way, but you forget something."  
" _You_ forget that this is a numbers game. The leopard numbers one, and you number in the hundreds. It would be wise to heed my demands."  
"Yes, but she means something to you, be she your friend or lover. We do not. Besides, if you start killing, I'll just have her killed."  
Kai thought for a moment.  
"What is this exchange?"  
"We spare the leopard; in exchange, you turn yourself in."  
"Why would I do that? I mean more to you than you think she does to me."  
"You could always turn down the offer."  
The doe stared down the barrel of Kai's weapon for several minutes of terrifying silence as the man pondered the exchange.  
"If I agree, do I have your word that no harm will come to her?"  
She turned back to the crowd. A majority of them nodded.  
"Yes."  
"Fine. I'll accept, only on the condition that you release her first, and take no action against her."  
"Not so fast. We need you in restraints first; otherwise, you might elope together."  
"How do I know she's safe, then?"  
"You have my word."  
"Very well."  
"Betelgeuse, you brought the prototype, did you not?" the deer shouted into the crowd.  
"Well, yes, but I don't know if it's actually safe for humans."  
"We shall find out. Bring it here."

A porcupine brought a small attache case to the stage; opening it revealed a remote and a metal collar; the inside was slightly barbed while the outside was smooth, linked like the band in a fine watch.  
"First, your weapons," Rigel stated, holding out a hoof. Kai gave away his dart gun. "All of your weapons."  
"That is all of them."  
"No, your gloves. Claws, rather."  
Kai hesitated, but reluctantly removed his gauntlets, and handed them to the deer as well.  
"Very good. Now, place the collar around your neck."  
"Are you sure about this, Rigel?" the porcupine asked. The deer nodded, and shooed the smaller mammal away.  
The man took the collar and held it in his hands for a very long time, running its slightly pliable connections through his fingers.  
"Lock the collar around your neck," the deer reiterated. Kai wrapped the collar around the back of his neck, holding the latch in front, but not locking it. After a minute of holding them apart, the doe gently grabbed and guided the two ends together, sealing the collar.  
"Good, now follow me," she stated, beginning to walk away.  
"No, not yet. First, the leopard."  
"Well, you see: about that… We don't actually have her."  
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Kai raged, lunging at Rigel. In response, she pressed a button on the remote, and electricity arced across the collar electrodes, coursing through the man's neck; Kai nearly stumbled, but managed to hold his footing long enough to reach the deer. A second button press caused him to collapse to all fours.  
"Nothing to worry about, Betelgeuse," the deer spoke. "It seems safe enough."  
"You had better not harm her," Kai grunted out.  
"I see no reason to, now that you're here."  
"What will you do with me?"  
"We will worry about that later. Come."

A lion and a hippo attempted to lift him by his arms and drag him, but struggled immensely. Kai brushed them off and stood, before following the deer out the doors, head hung low in shame. As they walked down the hall, the deer couldn't help but brag extensively.  
"Imagine, the first man in the world to be known to mammals, and he comes to our doorstep for a leopard," she repeated for the umpteenth time.  
"It's not tragic to die for a good cause," Kai finally replied out of frustration.  
"We won't kill you, don't worry. However, I'm sure you have information that could benefit us."  
"You won't get anything out of me."  
"We won't interrogate you, we play nice here."  
"You call collaring me nice?"  
"We can't be certain you won't run away."  
"If I wasn't weak from yesterday's events, I could easily escape."  
"Keep dreaming," the deer spoke, chuckling. They arrived at the jail cell in the basement; they stripped him of the rest of his equipment leaving him with only his clothing, and she opened the cell door. "In."

Kai stepped in, and the door slammed shut behind him. The doe stood on the other side, head between the bars.  
"I still can't get over the fact that you fell for the oldest trick in the book," she taunted.  
"That wasn't the oldest trick in the book," Kai responded, leaning on the bars to either side of her head, one hand on each.  
"Then what is? Educate me."  
He quickly forced the bars together; far enough apart where they wouldn't constrict her neck, but close enough together where she couldn't retract her head back through.  
"Consider yourself educated," he replied slyly, giving a wide grin. After watching in amusement for several moments, he went to the far end of the cell and laid on the cement bed, ignoring her cries of protest and the others' shouts for help. Although he was fairly certain they would shock him, it was worth it.

However, while he lay there, he couldn't help but wonder: although he had ensured her safety, where was Leora?

* * *

 **Rainforest District  
Earlier That Day  
4 AM**

Leora sat in the rear left of a taxi, crutches in the adjacent seat; Felix was in the front passenger side, and was paying for the fare. They sat, mostly silent, as the driver maneuvered through the streets of the Rainforest District, to some destination that she wasn't informed of. Eventually, they stopped in front of a small home near the Tundratown wall. Felix payed the driver and told Leora to exit.

They stood out of the rain beneath the cover of a small awning as the taxi drove off. Felix unlocked the door and motioned to enter, closing the door after they did so.  
"What is this place?" Leora asked.  
"Home."  
"You live here?"  
"Yeah, surprised?"  
"You're polar."  
"Meh."  
"But, it's hot here, humid. It must be unbearable."  
"You get used to it. I keep the AC on, and electricity is free in this part of town."  
"Where do you get food? They don't sell fish or chicken in the RD."  
"Just across the wall. Ten minute walk."  
"Why?"  
"House was cheap. Got this place a while ago; previous owners were going to sell the property and have the home demolished, but thought it was funny that a snow leopard wanted to move in. So, they gave me a good rate."  
"I see."

"So," Felix asked, taking a seat and offering one to Leora. "Why did you want me to get you from the hospital, least of all at four in the morning, and why do you need a place to stay?"  
"Leopard getting a leopard; it's less suspicious that way."  
"I was asking for an explanation as to why you needed to get out of the hospital at four in the morning, not as to why it had to be me."  
"It's hard to explain; long story."  
"It just so happens to be my day off; I have time."  
"Well, someone broke into my home a couple of days ago; the place is completely busted up, so I can't go back because it's not safe. The ambassador helped me find the one responsible and… let's say we dealt with him. It just so happens that this individual is the adopted son of the commander of the military, and he and some thousand other mammals are all part of a secret society that controls the city."  
Felix cracked up.  
"You think I'm joking," Leora stated, insulted.  
"I mean, you can't be serious! 'Secret Society'! This isn't a TV show, Leora."  
"The ambassador stayed behind to stand trial by combat, and he was supposed to meet me at the hospital."  
"Combat with whom?" Felix's expression shifted from jovial to serious.  
"The commander of the military, a grizzly bear."  
"And I take it, he didn't meet you at the hospital."  
"According to a second member of this society that stayed with me until he was forced to leave, he took a cut to the throat and was beaten repeatedly; he had to book it."  
"Doesn't sound like him."  
"Please, I don't ask favors often. I really need a place to hide out. They're looking for me, and they're looking for Kai. If they find us, well… I was told that they have a history of just killing mammals that don't fit in their plans."

Felix sighed, massaging his temples.  
"Alright. I don't know how long I can keep you here, but I do know a place that can take you as long as you need."  
"I'll take anything I can get."  
"You'll have to leave the city, and it's a long trip."  
"Leave the city?"  
"If being in the city is dangerous, then it shouldn't be that bad, right? Besides, these are good mammals."  
Leora carefully considered her options.  
"Alright, where?"  
"Remember when I mentioned that I came from Sagarmatha, a long time ago? Well, I wasn't kicked out because of bad blood; rather, the monastery and I just… didn't see eye to eye on our beliefs, so they respectfully asked me to leave. I'm still on good terms with some of the monks there; we write each other regularly."  
"You aren't seriously sending me halfway across the world?!"  
"The monastery won't accept females as monks, but they will house and feed you as long as you need."  
"I'll need a visa to go there, it will never work."  
"Only if you fly; the nearest landing strip is four hundred miles away, anyways. No, you'll have to take a boat."  
"Great, not only do you want me to go half-way across the world, you want me to do it by boat."  
"Two weeks journey, and it'll take you to the base of the mountain range; thirty miles North is a village where my extended family lives. I can ask them to meet you at the port and take you to the temple."  
"This sounds overly complicated."  
"If you're serious about mammals controlling the city and wanting you dead, I imagine they would have the land perimeter under control. You're probably on a no-fly list, too. So, this seems like your only option."  
Leora's phone suddenly gave a dejected beep. She checked it quickly; a missed call from an unknown number. She stowed it for the time being.  
"How long can you keep me here?" she asked.  
"A day, maybe two."

Leora thought very carefully about her next words.  
"Alright, I'll spend a couple days here, and then I need your help getting on that boat."

* * *

 **A/N: All aboard the emotional rollercoaster; I'm in row six. If you want to get on the struggle bus, I can drive.**

 **Remember when I complained about the numbering? Well, now that the rewrite is done, I got rid of some old documents and removed a chapter from the story. This is document number 35, labeled 'Chapter 27'; in the story, it's chapter 26, but it's going to be Chapter XXIII (23). What the hell.**

 **Also, I had the rewrite done like, four days ago; if you want to check that out, it's the first six chapters; I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (and I think it's way better than the original), but let me know what you think; it's possible I missed out on fixing some details. I wanted to get this chapter out a couple of days ago, but I was busy with a ton of stuff, including thinking about how to properly do the plot for this upcoming bit. I am pleased to say that if everything goes well, Nick gets to come back as a real character in maybe 2-4 chapters for a little stint. I know, right: who's that, you're thinking? He's only the protagonist from the movie, right? Well, fear no more! He gets some screen time again. I can't say for how long, that'll depend on how good I am at setup. Hell, if I'm really bad at setup, I might not be able to write him in at all. You know what they say though, hope dies last.**

 **Speaking of Nick, I didn't check, but I really hope it's the fifth task. Please let me be right. Also, I tried as best I could to proofread, but if there's a mistake, my apologies.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #25: The only bone not directly connected to any other in your body is the Hyoid bone, a U-shaped bone in the base of your tongue.**

 **Fun Fact #26: One of the first written set of laws, Hammurabi's Code, dictated that bartenders who watered down beer should get executed.**


	28. Chapter XXIV: Captivity

**Court Lodge  
Several Miles Outside of Zootopia  
The Next Morning**

Kai sat quietly on the cold concrete bed, refusing to acknowledge the presence of the two mammals standing just outside of the cell; one was writing in a clipboard, and the other was merely staring. There had been three, but the third left for some unknown reason. Over the course of the night, just over four dozen had visited him. A sign was placed on the opposite wall that stated 'Do NOT place limbs inside bars. Do NOT offer anything without prior consent of the Court. Do NOT provoke him.', but it was mostly ignored; arms were inserted through the bars to point, and he was needlessly provoked often. They attempted to weasel information about humans out of him, but he stayed quiet, much to their chagrin.

Suddenly, the third had returned and asked Kai a question.  
"Hungry?"  
He didn't respond, so they slid the tray of food under the bars onto the cell floor. Kai opened his eyes and stared at the food.  
"I don't know if you are fools, or if you take me for one," he stated.  
"Pardon?"  
"This is the second time I've been offered drugged food in the past week."  
"We didn't—"  
"Propofol. Don't bother trying to lie to me."  
They stared at each other.  
"Alright, we'll budge. How did you know?"  
"If you wanted a complacency drug, you should have gone with thiopental. Propofol has no effect taken orally in humans."  
"Then why won't you eat?"  
"Because the food you brought disgusts me."  
"It's mealworm protein and tossed eucalyptus; from what we gathered, these would have been a staple in a human diet."  
"Eucalyptus is mildly toxic to humans, and mealworms are sustenance for indigenous tribes, not civilized men."  
"So, what will you eat? We can't let you go hungry."  
"I would love a nice juicy rack of lamb."  
"Excuse me?"  
"Rack of lamb; you know: the ribs, cut perpendicular from the spine of a lamb—"  
"Anything realistic?"  
"How about one of you cut off your haunch? I'd really love a good—" The one in the middle pushed a button on the remote and shocked him. "On second thought, I'm not hungry."  
"You must eat."  
"You can't make me."  
"We can always force-feed you if you don't cooperate."  
"I thought the doe told me you played nice. What was her name? Rigel?"  
"She doesn't speak for the court."  
"Really: I'm not hungry, I insist."

The three mammals looked at each other, and the two without clipboards walked off, taking the tray of food with them; the third, a tanuki, kept taking notes. After forty-five minutes of ignoring the mammal's scrawling, Kai finally got curious.  
"Interested in something?"  
"I'm just taking note of your behavior."  
"Really?" he answered in faux-curiosity. "So, how am I behaving?"  
"Aggressive. Also sitting very curiously; tell me, how can you possibly find doing that with your legs comfortable?"  
Kai looked down; he was sitting in the lotus position, legs crossed over each other.  
"Are you incapable of doing this?"  
"I'm sure I could, but I don't understand why."  
"Why are you still here? I'm not going to do anything."  
"Because you are one of a kind, and you interest me greatly."  
"Why is that?"  
"I study animalistic psychology; that is, whenever there's a feral mammal, or reptiles, or birds, or what have you, I'm the one that gets the first look."  
"What would someone like you be doing in the Court? Also, why would an animal psychologist be interested in me?"  
"For your first question, I had wondered why my predecessor chose me for a long time. I realize now that most of the mammals that run this place are self-serving, but it just so happens that their actions indirectly benefit the city. Sometimes, they need an outside perspective, that perspective being me, to make sure they're not doing something stupid. For the second question, you are the first living specimen of a primate. We have no idea how your brain works, so I asked to see you so we could find out."  
"Even I don't know how my brain works; how can you expect to find out?"  
"How about we try?"

The tanuki walked away for a moment, before returning with a small wooden box; he unfolded it and placed it on the floor outside of the cell, sitting on the ground next to it. It was a chess board. As he set it up, he motioned for Kai to come forth.  
"Come, come."  
"Chess?"  
"You know how to play? Have a game with me, then."  
Eventually, Kai stood and sat on the other end of the board, separated from it by the bars.  
"White or black?" he asked, getting comfortable.  
"Let's flip for it," the psychologist replied, pulling a small coin from his pocket. He tossed it in the air and caught it. "Call."  
"Heads."  
The tanuki opened his paw to reveal that it was heads.  
"You choose."  
"White." He rotated the board around such that the white pieces were on his end, and made the first move: pawn to d3.  
"A passive opening."  
Kai shrugged.

The doctor took several minutes for each move, whereas Kai moved nearly instantaneously, taking at most fifteen seconds during a particularly tricky development. In the end, Kai won by a large margin.  
"How about we play again?" the tanuki stated, resetting the board.  
"Flip the coin."  
The mammal flipped the coin and caught it.  
"Tails."  
Again, he was correct, and called white; again, he opened the same way and won by an enormous amount. The tanuki scratched his head, confused, but reset the board once more. As he flipped the coin and caught it, Kai once again correctly predicted the outcome of the flip.  
"Wait a minute," the mammal stated, flipping the coin once more. "Predict it again."  
"Tails."  
"Again." He flipped it once more.  
"Heads."  
"Again."  
They repeated this eleven times, each time correct.  
"How are you getting this?"  
"You're flipping it in a very predictable manner."  
"Fine. Call it before I flip it."  
"Tails."  
The psychologist flipped it, and it landed on heads.  
"I choose white," the tanuki proclaimed, rotating the board.  
"Fine."  
The doctor took a long time on his first move, before opening the same way the man did: pawn to d3. Kai tipped his king over.  
"I resign."  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"I resign, you win."  
"But the game hasn't even started yet."  
"If white starts d3, black always loses."  
"That isn't true."  
"Chess is a solved game, doctor. It's been mathematically proven."  
"Chess isn't—"  
"It is."  
The tanuki thought for a moment.  
"Fine, pretend I don't know perfect play. Entertain me."

Kai replaced his king in an upright position, and made a move. Move after move, the game progressed; the doctor took longer and longer with each successive move, but like the two previous games, his opponent breezed through his turns. In the end, thirty-three moves later, the man won with a decent advantage.  
"How are you pulling this off?" the tanuki asked, flustered. "I'm rated grandmaster, second best in Zootopia; I took most tournaments before Kitson bested me in the championship. I don't understand how you can beat me in such a nonchalant manner."  
"It's not difficult. I do, however, think it's funny that you thought going against an opponent of unknown skill as a grandmaster was a good test."  
"I wanted to see how you would react to losing repeatedly, but I suppose I was mistaken."  
"I don't make a habit of losing, doctor."  
"Then why are you locked up in here, human?"  
"You think this is defeat?" Kai motioned to the cell walls. "I get food, running water, and a roof over my head for free. That, and guaranteed safety for my subordinates and comrades from one of the most influential organizations in the world. There are mammals that would kill for what I have now, living in the slums of the city. No, this isn't defeat; I am merely biding my time."  
"I…" The doctor didn't know how to respond.  
"Had your fill yet, doctor?"  
"I'll be back soon, I believe," he answered, promptly packing up his supplies and exiting the room.

* * *

 **Noon**

The psychologist returned with the two others, as before.  
"Eat," they commanded, sliding a tray of food beneath the bars.  
Kai looked at the food: it appeared to be a cut of fish on a bed of rice; this time, not laced with anything.  
"What, no poison? I'm surprised."  
The middle one held up the remote threateningly.  
"What a time to be alive," Kai spoke, laughing. "At least you brought real food this time."  
"Well, will you eat?" they asked, after a moment of silence.  
"Maybe later, perhaps when you leave."  
"We wish to observe."  
The man raised a brow.  
"Observe?"  
"How you eat."  
"I am not some lab rat to be toyed with at the whim of a petty assembly of animals."  
They shocked him; he still didn't head for the food. They shocked him again.  
"Do that again and we'll have a problem."  
"You're behind bars," the one on the left stated, matter-of-factly. "That's an empty threat."  
"I don't have to be on the outside of this cage to have a problem with you; besides, I'll be out eventually, just you wait."  
They pressed the button on the remote a third time.  
"Eat."  
"Torture doesn't work on me. You can push that button all you want, but it will not make me eat any sooner than I choose to of my own accord."  
Again, he was shocked; the psychologist was furiously taking notes.  
"Obey!" the one in the middle shouted, holding the button down; although the man was on all fours on the floor, it was clear that his tactic wasn't working; he let up.  
"Perhaps forced persuasion will not work with him," the tanuki offered.  
"What do you suggest, then?"  
"Leave me with him."

The other two rolled their eyes, but eventually left. Moments after the door shut, Kai went and sat before the tray.  
"I thought you weren't going to eat until we left."  
"Them specifically. They left." He looked down; no utensils. "They also didn't leave a fork. Typical."  
"We can't risk you picking the lock, sorry."  
The man walked to the cell door; he picked two adjacent bars at random, and pried them apart, before narrowly slipping through; next, he took the pen and clipboard from the mammal's paw and neatly initialed the paper at the top, before handing them back. The doctor looked stunned, but stood his ground. After Kai returned and bent the bars more or less into their proper positions, the doctor resumed the conversation.  
"If you can do that, why do you bother sitting here? Surely you can escape?"  
"If I do, they'll kill my subordinates."  
"You care for them enough that you waste your life in here for them?" the tanuki asked as he began taking notes again.  
"A good commander does not waste units for no gain. As I said, I'm biding my time until I can make a better move; surely, as a chess grandmaster, you can appreciate _patience_ strategy: you don't develop your queen until your knights and bishops, nor unless your king is safe."  
"And what is this better move?"  
"I'll have to wait and see. Hopefully, the Court will no longer feel the need to threaten my subordinates. In the mean time, bring me a fork. Oh, and get Sirius to come."  
"Sirius isn't allowed to visit you."  
"Why not? Are you afraid he'll _help me escape_?" Kai layered the last three words with copious impertinence.  
The doctor sighed.  
"I'll see if I can persuade them to expand your privileges."  
"You do that. Fork first."

* * *

 **Evening**

Sirius walked in with a tray of food; on it was his signature dish of chicken and several nameless side dishes. Thankfully, the tray came with a plastic fork; Kai didn't have to ask this time. Trailing just behind Sirius was a pale gray rabbit whose face was slightly scuffed up with scars, and whose cheeks and upper ears were marked with black fur. After sliding the tray under the bars, the duo sat on the wooden chairs that were situated there. Kai sat on the floor in front of the tray to eat.

They waited until the man finished eating to ask questions.  
"Is this where they have you cooped up?" Sirius asked.  
"Where else? What's new in the world?"  
"Well, Altair here presided over the meeting after what you did to Arcturus."  
"Altair?"  
"Pleased to meet you," the rabbit answered, extending a paw through the bars to shake. Kai returned the favor.  
"Brave of you to stick a limb into my cage; didn't you read the sign?"  
"I know you won't hurt me."  
"Anyways, what happened in the meeting?"  
"Well, we restarted the drug trade," Sirius answered. "The new farm is outside of the city, and there are weekly shipments to bring in product. I have the privilege of coordinating the effort now."  
"So, if you don't mind me asking, why is the rabbit here?"  
"He's here to make sure I don't try to bust you out."  
"A stupid notion," Kai stated; Sirius agreed.  
"Everyone immediately discredits me because I'm a rabbit; watch yourself, human. I'm more dangerous than you think," Altair stated.  
"You immediately discredit me because I'm a human locked in a cage; watch yourself, bunny, _I'm_ more dangerous than you think," Kai returned in jest.

The rabbit slid through the bars effortlessly and began to pace circles round the man, inspecting every detail of his form.  
"Stand, please," Altair asked. Kai stood up.  
"Looking for weak spots? You won't find any."  
"Hold your paw out."  
"You mean my hand?"  
"I don't care what you call it, hold it out."  
Kai kneeled down and extended his hand, palm side up, to the rabbit; Altair began manipulating and rotating the joints in the fingers, and then the wrist.  
"Honestly, believe me. You won't find anything." Suddenly, the rabbit applied a strong torsion to Kai's wrist; the man held his wrist locked, and Altair made no headway. "Pretty strong, for a bunny."  
Altair spun around and kicked the man's shin on the right side to no avail. Next, he jumped and struck Kai's hip, narrowly missing the joint.  
"Hmph. I guess I'll need to do some research. Humans are built pretty well."  
He turned to leave, and Kai quickly grabbed and held five points on the rabbit's lower back, much to the rabbit's displeasure.  
"Let go!" he shouted; Kai applied slightly more pressure, and the rabbit's spine hyperextended and locked up, causing him to fall forward just in front of the bars in a demeaning posture. "What the hell!"  
Kai laughed boisterously.  
"I suspected as much," he stated.  
"What exactly did you suspect?" Sirius asked, leaning forward to closer inspect the man's actions.  
"The Lordosis lock works in rabbits, too."  
"The what?"  
"A subconscious mating reflex in some mammals." Kai snapped the fingers of his free hand next to the rabbit's ears; he didn't react in any way. Instead, he was struggling unsuccessfully, all the while muttering unrelated obscenities louder and louder. "Perfect, it works."  
"I thought only females did that."  
"Well, it takes five points in males, instead of the usual four; luckily I have five fingers to a hand. Usually the nerves are triggered in a mammal's rump, but seeing as the fifth spot requires pressure in the lower back, and I don't feel like groping him, I just traced the four nerves back to the base of the spine."  
"I feel like you should be tried for sexual abuse."  
"I needed to talk to you privately, and him tagging along interferes with that."  
"He's still here."  
"The lock makes him hypersensitive to touch and smell."  
"Meaning?"  
"He's practically deaf until I let go; his vision should be worse, but I wouldn't count on that, so come close: I don't want him reading your lips."

Sirius stepped closer, such that his head was out of Altair's view.  
"What is it?"  
"First, give me your phone."  
"I can't let you make a call, they'll skin me alive."  
"No, I need to type in an address."  
The wolf handed one of his phones over, and with his free hand, Kai typed a location into the phone's navigator.  
"What is this place?" Sirius asked, taking his phone back and looking at the map. "Downtown?"  
"An apartment. You'll know when you see it, since the door is half-broken down; just rattle the handle and it'll open."  
"What's in this apartment?"  
"Inside the closet, you'll find a wetsuit with a belt. On that belt is a clear syringe filled with viscous red fluid. I want you specifically to take that to the leopardess, and tell her that the Court is no longer looking for her."  
"… That's it? For a second there I thought you were going to tell me to bust you out."  
"No, that's it. You can find her, right?"  
Sirius nodded.  
"What's so special about this syringe that you would have me go out of my way to personally deliver it?"  
"It can fix her bones. I regret not using it earlier, but I couldn't risk her fractures setting incorrectly; since she's out of the hospital, I'll assume the doctors took care of the alignment. It's the only vial that I know of in the city."  
"You have more elsewhere?"  
"Elsewhere, but you can't retrieve it from there. You absolutely must not take it to anyone else."  
"Why not Antares?"  
"He won't be able to synthesize more; he'll just waste it in his attempts, and then you won't be able to give any to her. Can you do this for me?"  
"If I say no?"  
"Belly rub."  
"Fine, I'll do it, but fuck you. You're not getting any points for making threats."  
"You liked it, and you know it." He looked down at Altair, who was still idly wriggling beneath his grip. "Alright, when I let go I'm pretty sure he's going to be pissed. Stand back."

As soon as Sirius was clear, Kai released his hold; instantly the bunny hopped through the bars at lightning speed before standing upright, massaging his lower back. As he continuously rotated his ears, the volume at which he shouted slowly decreased as his hearing came back.  
"What the hell is your problem!" the rabbit shouted.  
"I was curious to see if that pin worked. It did."  
"Why couldn't I hear anything? What were you two talking about while you held me?"  
"Talking about?" Kai raised a brow. "You must have lost perception of time; that tends to happen with that pin. No, Sirius merely leaned in and asked that I release you. After I agreed, I told him to stay clear, in case you reflexively jumped or kicked."  
The rabbit stared at Sirius, who shrugged and nodded.  
"Let's go, we're leaving."  
"I'm sorry, Altair; I thought that you attacking me was an invitation for me to try something. It won't happen again."  
"It had better not."  
"How about this: next time you come down, bring some drinks; we'll have a round together."  
"You drink?"  
"Sure, why not. Maybe I'll even tell a story."  
"It had better be a damn good one."

* * *

 **Downtown Zootopia  
Midnight**

Sirius was stalking through the streets of downtown. He had put on street clothes so as to disguise himself; he couldn't afford to ruin his public image if he was seen breaking and entering. He followed the directions that his phone was giving, and he soon came to the apartment complex.

He quickly and quietly crept up the stairwell until he reached the correct floor, and then walked down the hallway until he saw the aforementioned battered door. As promised, he jiggled the handle until the door opened, but when he tried to enter, it snagged loudly on the door chain. He paused for what seemed like an eternity, but no one came. Eventually, he reached in and unhooked the chain, before fully entering.

The apartment's interior was dark, and it smelled as if someone had been there very recently; he turned on the lights, and was horrified to find that a large portion of the floor was coated in blood and that the upholstery was shredded. He forced himself to avert his gaze; instead, he began searching the closet. Inside, he found only a very human-shaped wetsuit, and on its belt, a large number of thieves' tools. The wolf felt around until he recovered a small cylindrical object with a capped needle on one end, hidden in one of the very back pockets. Pocketing it, he left the apartment and closed the door.

Sirius returned to the lobby and withdrew a phone, before placing a call.  
"Yes?"  
"Altair, it's Sirius."  
"Why are you calling me?"  
"I need to know where the leopardess is."  
"For what purpose?"  
"I know you know where she is, you have agents crawling around the city."  
"I also know you're… crawling around her apartment."  
"That didn't take you long."  
"Phone trace. Tell me why you want her, and I'll consider letting you know."  
"How about this: I'll put in a motion for extra Secret Service funding if you do this for me."  
"You? Funding? That's a rarity. What's the occasion?"  
"I know you've been vying for better funding since antiquity. Besides, do this and I won't tell anyone else what the human did to you."  
"How about this: I'll refrain from having you disposed of as long as you don't mention that. The funding, on the other hand…"  
"Will you do it?"  
The rabbit considered for a long time.  
"Fine, only if you get me at least another hundred million in funding."  
"Eighty."  
"Ninety, no less."  
"Deal. Where is she?"  
"Let's see… Rainforest District by the Tundratown wall, south of Rainbow falls: 223 Parana Avenue. I reckon if you take the inner loop two stops past, it'll be a five minute walk. We stopped tracking her, but we don't expect her to move."  
"Thanks, Jack."  
"I'd better see that funding before next year."  
"You know it takes at least six months to—" Sirius began, but Altair had already hung up.

From where he was, it would take a long time to get there; it would be just before dawn by the time he arrived. No matter, he thought; he set off.

* * *

 **223 Parana Avenue  
Rainforest District  
Zootopia  
5 AM**

Sirius was standing outside of the home marked by a small '223'. The lights inside were off, so he approached and knocked. After a minute, there was no response, so he knocked again; still, no one came to the door. He peered through the windows, and couldn't see anything indicating that anyone was home. The wolf turned around, planning to call Altair, but found himself face to face with a snow leopard.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the snow leopard snarled.  
"I… I'm looking for a leopardess."  
The cat shoved him to the ground before drawing a dart gun and pointing it at his face.  
"I didn't believe her when she told me she was being followed."  
"No, wait! It's not that!"  
"Then what is it?! Spit it out!"  
"I was asked to give her this," Sirius answered, slowly withdrawing the syringe from his pocket and handing it to the feline. The snow leopard inspected it, eyes widening, before lowering his gun.  
"Who gave you this?"  
"The ambassador wanted me to give it to her, and I was supposed to tell her that they aren't looking for her anymore."  
"Why not?!"  
"The ambassador gave himself up in her place."  
"I can't believe this!" he shouted, kicking an upturnt stone with fury.  
"What?"  
"I just smuggled her onto a boat out of the country!"  
"You what?"  
"She was convinced _they_ were going to kill her, so I helped her escape."  
"Is there any chance you can stop her?"  
"The ship set sail an hour ago."  
"To where?"  
"I won't tell you."  
"Out of them, I'm the only one you can trust."  
"How can I know?"  
"I brought you the needle, and I came to tell you the news. They would punish me if they knew I was doing this; the only reason I'm here is because the ambassador asked me to come."

"Please."  
"She's off to Sagarmatha Proper. Beyond that, I won't say."  
"Sagar- That's across the world!"  
"It's as far away from here as can be." The snow leopard brushed past Sirius, opening his door. "Tell the ambassador she's safe."

The door shut, leaving Sirius in the mud.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
Outside Zootopia  
9 PM**

The meeting was full of mammals; despite the fact that there wasn't much business to complete, there was still a large commotion from the arrival of the human. Most of the evening's business was taken care of, and Altair was finishing up.  
"Any comments?"  
Sirius raised his hand.  
"Yes?"  
"The leopardess has left the city."  
"She-what? Where to?"  
"I'm… not sure."  
"This is bad," someone from the audience spoke out. Voices of agreement rang out.  
"Silence," Altair beckoned. "Whatever happens, the human must not find out."  
"Why not?" Sirius asked.  
"The only reason he is cooperating with anything we do is because he is under the impression that we could at any moment dispose of her. If she is gone, we lose that leverage, and he knows it," spoke someone from the audience.  
"Exactly. We must keep him happy, and ignorant of the truth," Altair spoke. "That means whoever was button-happy earlier today needs to stop."  
"How did you know of that?" someone shouted.  
"The walls have ears. Any other comments?"  
No replies.  
"Dismissed."

* * *

Sirius came down with a tray of food; Altair stood just outside the door to ensure that he didn't say anything he wasn't supposed to. Kai sat up eagerly.  
"So, what happened?" the man asked.  
"She was out, so I left it with the snow leopard," Sirius replied.  
"You passed the message along as well?"  
"Yes."  
"Good. What happened in the meeting?" He took the tray of food and quickly ate.  
"Nothing much; mostly budget changes."  
"I see. So, when will they start trusting you?"  
"I don't know."  
"I presume the rabbit just outside the door is the one keeping an eye on you."  
Several moments later, Altair walked in, arms crossed.  
"How did you guess?" he asked.  
"You can breathe quietly, but you can't silence your heartbeat, especially when you lean against the wall."  
"But how did you know it was me?"  
"Your heartbeat was fast, and I don't remember seeing rodents in the Court."  
"You continue surprising me every hour."  
"I also notice that you didn't bring drinks."  
"Maybe next time. Alright, Sirius, I think we spent enough time here."  
"You were hardly here twenty seconds, Altair."  
"We came mostly to give you food; the news report was an extra bonus." He turned and left; Sirius picked up the empty tray and also exited.

Kai felt something was awry, but couldn't tell what.

* * *

 **A/N: At the rate they keep increasing, the A/N is going to be longer than the actual story. I'm going to cut down on the A/N's from now on, but I'll just go all out on this one because I have a lot to say and complain about.**

 **To start off, I've gotten angry responses because Arcturus beat Kai, but Bogo couldn't. First, I apologize. Second, I will try to offer some justification:  
** **1\. Arcturus is a grizzly bear, naturally ~1500 lbs, carnivorous, 4 ft at shoulder, and ~30 mph top speed. Bogo is a Cape Buffalo, and I'll presume a Savannah breed given his fused horns, which average between 1300 to 1900 lbs, herbivorous, 3.3-5.6 ft at shoulder, and ~35 mph top speed. Sounds like Bogo wins, but negligibly so; genetics got screwed up when people got involved, so I rounded these away within a margin of error. If you don't want to, see next point.  
** **2\. Arcturus has military training, which involves killing; his job as a soldier is to do just that, but he's been in command for a little while. Bogo has police training, which involves subduing. His job as a cop is to restrain and detain felons, but he's been working a desk job for at least two years now, probably more. Neither have reason to keep in shape, but military code usually dictates getting a certain amount of practice a year, regardless of rank, in several countries.  
** **3\. Bogo had no reason to do anything other than restrain Kai; Arcturus found out that his son was just killed and would probably be enraged.  
** **Therefore, it is more likely that a provoked bear with military training fighting a deathmatch with a man would succeed than an out-of-shape buffalo attempting to arrest the same man; especially when you consider that the man was wearing a mask and robe, as opposed to combat gear, against the former because he specifically didn't want to reveal his identity.  
** **If you still don't understand why I did what I did (first of all I've done way worse asspulls with less justification, second), suppose the following: I'm sure you've played video games where, during a boss fight, you absolutely get destroyed, even though it seems like you could easily beat the weenies. Games like Final Fantasy 4/Dimensions/whatever, South Park Stick of Truth, etc. They write the battles in question like that because if they didn't, the story wouldn't progress.  
** **If Kai was just an invincible dude with no character flaws walking around kicking everyone's ass like the terminator, how would I ever get a plot going? The story would get real stale, real fast; it would turn into another One Punch Man, and that guy updates his bi-weekly manga once every four weeks, and periodically cuts the chapters short because he doesn't know where to take it next. Call it a story sin, but I have to get the plot going somehow, and this was the most realistic way to do that. Anyways...**

 **This chapter and the next are going to be slightly slow-paced; maybe the next one after that, too. After that, Nick takes the spotlight, then I tie the plot lines back together, and boom; I'll be back on track with the original story. I know I've drifted quite a bit, but I'm going to try really hard to get back to basics.**

 **On an unrelated note, my hands won't stop shaking and I'm 30 years too young for Alzheimer's. I assume it's just the lack of sleep, but I can't sleep yet; I still have so much work to do. I'll try to get another chapter out before Monday evening, but starting then, I'll have to take a 2 week hiatus in which I need to entertain guests.**

 **Speaking of guests, my entire family left for vacation except me because I still have one class on Monday. I thought I could just get some peace and quiet, but not even: they left me a list of shit that needs to get done before they come back with said guests from overseas. Yup, they didn't have the decency to prepare for them before they left; that's now my job, on top of class work and internship work.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #27: The Campaign for North Africa is the longest-playing board game made, with the average game designed to last 62 days for ten players, and possessing 1800 separate counters, one for each piece.**

 **Fun Fact #28: Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Frank were born on the same year.**

 **I'll just cut back to one fact per chapter so I don't lose numbering, and so it's easier to come up with them.**


	29. Chapter XXV: Forgotten Pestilence

**Eight Weeks Later  
November 8  
Tundratown Suburbs  
Zootopia  
Evening**

Neal felt like a dwarf in the passenger seat of a large patrol car with Bjorn; they were pulling street duty at Bogo's behest, due to a shortage of officers for the day.  
"I still can't believe it," Neal complained for the umpteenth time. "I'm a SWAT sniper, and he has me on the streets."  
"Get over it," Bjorn replied. "I'm in the same boat as you. We're still getting SWAT pay, and the work load is much lighter. Besides, the shift is almost over; only another hour or so, and we'll be done."  
"Yeah, but I hate walking."  
"We're driving."  
"When we get out, we won't be."  
"You're a lazy bum, you know that?"  
"Lazy bum with a good eye and a better trigger finger."  
"Hold on, you see that?"  
Up ahead, another arctic fox was stumbling down the sidewalk, hardly maintaining his balance.  
"What, a drunk? Nice; we can talk to him, pretend we did a lot today, and go home. I can handle this, pull up."

Bjorn pulled up and parked the car on the curb; the fox in passing didn't pay any attention to them at all. When Neal got out and walked up, something seemed off about the stranger; he was shambling, as though he were drunk, but he didn't exhibit the telltale lethargy of alcohol poisoning. Instead, it seemed as though he was ready to break into a sprint at a moment's notice, were something invisible not holding him back. In addition, he was drooling and slobbering immensely; a near constant stream of saliva poured from his mouth into the snow.  
"You okay, buddy?" Neal asked, concerned. The fox lazily glanced in his direction, before continuing his walk. "Hey, stop! I need to talk to you." This time, he couldn't illicit a reaction at all. Neal began reaching for the fox's shoulder to stop him, but the mammal snapped its teeth around his wrist.

Immediately, Bjorn got out of the car and leaped over to the situation, separating the two; he muzzled the perpetrator, before cuffing him and throwing him in the backseat.  
"He bit me! The fucker bit me!" Neal shouted, loudly murmuring obscenities.  
"Let me see," Bjorn stated, taking his partner's wrist. Four pin-pricks slowly oozed blood down his wrist, dripping into the snow. "It's not that bad, quit being a wimp."  
"It burns like hell," he groaned, hopping in place, clutching at the wound. Bjorn took a bandage from the squad car's first aid box and quickly bound the wound.  
"Good as new," Bjorn said cheerfully. "Let's get him locked up."  
"The sooner, the better."

The duo got in the car and drove the fox to the precinct; after booking him, the pair went their separate ways: Bjorn to his home, Neal to his apartment. As the fox arrived, he was greeted by a black vixen at the door: his roommate and girlfriend.  
"Hello, Lyra," he stated wearily.  
"Long day?" she responded.  
"Yeah. You?"  
"Not much; just more research." She watched as Neal sauntered over to a cabinet for a glass, which he proceeded to fill with water. "Oh, there was also a security issue, they were still working on fixing it as I left."  
"What kind?"  
"Classified, dearest."  
He chuckled, embracing her. As he wrapped his arms around her, she noticed the bandage on his wrist.  
"What happened to your arm?"  
"Oh, this? Some drunk bit me just before the shift ended."  
"Drunk? What was he acting like?" She took a sudden interest into his explanation.  
"Now that you mention it, he was acting weird. Kinda twitchy; drooling, too."  
"What species?" Her tone gave the impression that she was slightly worried.  
"Arctic fox, same as me."  
"I think you should go to the hospital. Now." She grabbed him by the upper arm and began dragging him out the door.  
"Whoa, slow down. What's the rush?"  
"I think he might have been rabid."  
"Rabid? Rabies was eradicated thirty-nine years ago, remember?"  
"Yeah, but his symptoms match that of rabies, and when you get bitten by a mammal for no reason, it's better to be safe than sorry. Come on."  
"I really don't think—"  
"Please, for me?"  
He sighed.  
"If it'll make you feel better."  
He lumbered beside her out the door to the hospital.

She hailed a taxi as soon as he stepped outside, and by the time he stepped in, they were already off to the destination she had requested. Buildings passed quickly, and relatively few red lights stopped them. However, they passed the hospital when they came to it.  
"Why are we passing the hospital?" Neal asked.  
"They wouldn't carry the treatment, we're going to my research clinic," she replied.  
"Fancy schmancy, huh?"  
"Only the best for you."

They arrived in front of a dimly lit building, and exited from the taxi after he forked over several bills. He rushed after her to the door, where she flashed a badge to open the door. Hallway after hallway they traveled, until they came to a storage labeled 'Rabies Research Supplies'. Lyra opened it and began fishing through its contents.  
"What a funny label," Neal commented.  
"Why's that?"  
"Why would you do research on rabies if it's already extinct?"  
"Protein coat sampling, DNA sequencing, as well as… Oh, here." She pulled out two small sealed vials and stoppered syringes, pocketing one of each. "Let's get you into my office."  
"Why not one door over in the 'Clinic'?"  
"I probably shouldn't be seen pilfering supplies from this closet, especially not this vial."  
"But you own this place, don't you?"  
"Well, yes, but… Let's just get going."

They backtracked several hallways to an office labeled 'Lyra Karahan', and held the door for him. He entered, and she closed the door behind them, locking it.  
"I presume you're vaccinated?"  
"Well, yeah, it's mandatory."  
"Good, I only needed to pilfer two, then." She removed the bandage from his wrist, and then swabbed it with alcohol; he was wincing and trying to pull it away, but her grip was surprisingly strong. She put the needle through the vial's rubber septum, and withdrew it's contents into the syringe. "Hope you have a good pain tolerance," she muttered, before poking it next to the bite wound. He began making 'ah's, and 'oh's in protest, and again attempting to pull away his wrist. "You're making this very difficult," she stated, removing and repositioning the needle several times, injecting some fluid each time.

When she finally finished, Neal was almost to tears.  
"Wow, you're such a baby," she stated, laughing.  
"I know," he spoke with a strained voice.  
"I'm only kidding," she replied, stroking his chin. "I know it burns, I was just poking fun."  
"Rude," he scoffed.  
"Let's get going, I'm technically not supposed to be here after hours."  
"But you own the place!"  
"Yeah, but cleaning crew has to clean, and I interfere if I'm here; you know, stuff like that." She avoided his gaze when he tried to meet her eyes.

They left through the same door they came in, and quickly left for their apartment.

* * *

 **Two Days Later  
Lower Level  
Court Lodge  
Outside Zootopia  
Afternoon**

Sirius walked in with a tray of food; to no one's surprise, it was the usual. Kai tossed a casual glance, not breaking his routine of exercises. Currently, he was performing free-form handstand pushups, much to Sirius' amusement.  
"Are you gonna do that every time I walk in here? Showoff."  
"I have to stay in shape," Kai replied, gently falling to his feet. "Do you have any idea what prison does to your body? Prison food, especially."  
"Hey, I tried really hard this time; the spices are the hardest part." The wolf slid the tray of food into the cell and sat on the chair in the room. "You know, I can hardly recognize you anymore. You changed over the last two months."  
"How so?"  
"Well, for starters, your…" Sirius motioned around his chin.  
"My beard?" Kai felt his chin, massaging it with his hand. "Yeah, I guess it has grown in."  
"Right. That, and your scars are practically gone. I don't really get how; I expected the three claw marks to be around forever."  
"Scars fade. I'm more surprised in how little you've changed in the two months, to be honest."  
"Yeah, well, it's probably news to you, but mammals don't change much during a season. Maybe in another month my winter coat will grow in."  
"And then what? Are you going to turn a different color?"  
"I'll be fluffier."  
Kai laughed.  
"I've always wanted a fluffy dog of my own. Say, Sirius, on the topic of fluffy dogs, would you mind doing me a favor?"  
"What kind?"  
"Would you mind pretending to be an old world dog for me?"  
"Excuse me?" Sirius raised a brow.  
"You know, man's best friend sort of thing. Stand on all fours, pant, and do tricks for me."  
"You have to be shitting me."  
"Come on, I've already been here for the better half of autumn."  
"But it's so humiliating and degrading!"  
"You know they stopped listening in a month ago, right about when they stopped asking that I give blood and step into every X-ray machine they wheeled in."  
"To be fair, I think you breaking their wrists whenever they stuck a needle through the bars made them stop, and not you objecting."  
"I'll give you whatever you want."  
Sirius stared for a long time, shifting his glance quickly to the door. He walked over, and peeked his head out, looking left and right, before returning.  
"You know, as tempting as that sounds, maybe some other time."  
"See? I knew I could get you to do it if I offered a belly rub."  
"Who's talking about belly rubs?" he spoke hastily, shifting his glance from side to side. "I didn't mention belly rubs."  
Kai began laughing.  
"You're a simple mammal."  
"You don't understand!" Sirius protested. "It's not like that!"  
"Not like what?"  
"You have no idea how much shit everyone gives me because Achernar keeps spreading lies."  
"What does he say?"  
"He says it gives me sexual pleasure. It doesn't!"  
The man raised a brow.  
"I don't know, you were giving me that vibe, too."  
"It's… hard to explain, but it's not like that. It's different from sex, but it's way better!"  
"Jesus, Sirius, you need to get laid."  
Sirius kept stuttering, and motioning with his hands back and forth, as if to try to clear up a very large misconception, but eventually gave up, giving a sigh of defeat.  
"Whatever. I've got good news and bad news," he eventually stated.  
"The good news?"  
"Election results are in."  
"It's only been two days."  
"It's all electronic now, we can tally the votes pretty quick."  
"So, new mayor?"  
"He doesn't get an election for another two years. No, the senators up for reelection in the Court all got back in."  
"Doesn't really surprise me, considering you can rig the polls all you like."  
"Hey, we pull other strings than rigging polls."  
"It's not beneath you. The bad news?"  
"I'm almost out of those pills you gave me."  
"How many?"  
"About a dozen left."  
"That should still last you two weeks, don't worry about it."  
"Yeah, but with you locked in here, who's going to get me more? Antares still can't figure out how to make them."  
"Maybe you can figure out how to get me on a longer leash, then."

Kai ate quickly, before pausing in thought.  
"Say, today's the tenth, right?" he asked.  
"Well, election was two days ago, so yeah."  
"Election is the Tuesday after the first Monday. It changes from year to year."  
"Yeah, it's the tenth. Why?"  
"Tomorrow's a holiday. Three-in-one, actually, by stupid coincidence."  
"Oh really? What's the first?"  
"Armistice Day."  
"Armistice from what?"  
"The First Great War. Lasted four years, but in that decade, seven percent of the world's population died due to famine, disease, and fighting. Last war that people saw as good."  
"I see. The second?"  
"The anniversary of the Forty Minute War, which took place three-hundred and eighty years after."  
"Forty Minute War?"  
"Well, I call it that; I think it sounds better than 'The Last War'."  
"Why forty minutes, though?"  
"Ten for everyone to declare war on each other, and thirty for the average flight time of an intercontinental ballistic missile."  
"Oh. Well, the last holiday?"  
"Thirty-five years after that, to the day, I became the last man on Earth."  
"I… I'm sorry."  
"Don't be. It's my fault to begin with; I had opportunities to stop it at least a dozen times, but I was too shortsighted to see the bigger picture, to anticipate the end result. No, it should be cause for celebration: I'm not dead yet, and there's still intelligent life on Earth."  
Sirius pondered for a moment.  
"Alright, how about this: tonight, I'll see if you can go to the meeting. There, you can ask for something to celebrate."  
"I doubt they'll give me anything. They're animals, Sirius."  
"Does that make me an animal?"  
"You can't be serious."  
He rolled his eyes.  
"Hey, you've been behaving for two months. They can't refuse you."  
"We'll see."

* * *

Kai was chained to the stage during the meeting; he felt it was the ultimate form of irony. In the past, lone animals were chained up for the amusement of people. Now, the lone man was chained up for the amusement of animals. They were discussing some idle business about Savannah Square, and even though they all wore masks to cover their faces, he knew they were staring at him.

"So, human, it has come to my attention that you wanted to celebrate a holiday of yours tomorrow?" Altair asked. Kai was curious as to where Arcturus was; he was supposed to have recovered by now. Perhaps he was on business elsewhere.  
"Yes."  
"So, three holidays, three requests. What do you want?"  
"First, a shave and a haircut."  
The audience laughed.  
"Fine, so be it. This might be easier than I thought."  
"Easy? Is this the part where I request impossible goods and services?"  
"Nothing is impossible for the Astral Court. Second?"  
Kai thought for a long time.  
"Pardon me if this request seems juvenile. For my second request: a nice, tall, cold glass of homogenized, pasteurized milk, with three chocolate chip cookies."  
He was met with silence.  
"E… Excuse me?"  
"A glass of milk, with three chocolate chip cookies." More silence. "Surely the almighty Astral Court won't get hung up on a simple request?"  
"Like… Almond milk? Soy milk?"  
Kai laughed.  
"I can't believe it. Among the thousand individuals here, none of you can produce a glass of milk."  
"I… I…" Altair was at a loss of words, staring into the audience.  
"Well?"  
"Maybe another request?"  
Kai laughed again.  
"No."  
There was a long pause in the conversation.  
"Well, we'll just ignore that for now. Third?"  
"A phone call."  
"Absolutely not. You could talk in code; we cannot allow it."  
"Then a hand-written letter, delivered to the leopardess; I want the courier to wait for a reply, and to deliver it back to me. You may inspect it for code as thoroughly as you wish."  
"I… fine."  
"I can expect these three things?"  
"Perhaps not the second, but we shall see. You may return to your cell, human."  
"Very well, rabbit."  
Altair rolled his eyes, but walked up the stairs.

* * *

 **The Next Day  
Morning**

Kai had finished writing his letter on the stationary given to him:

 _Leora,  
It has been two months since the Court has stopped pursuing you. I have not heard any news from any of the squad. How is Rufus; you remember him, the bear? Tell me a story. I am expecting a reply.  
Kai G.S._

He neatly penned his signature at the bottom and, after the ink had dried, handed the letter to Altair standing, who was sitting just outside the cell.  
"It'll take a day to analyze and deliver this."  
"It's five sentences."  
"I've seen shorter codes that held a thousand stories."  
"Get it done, then."  
The rabbit left, leaving him alone in the room.

At around noon, he was visited by Achernar, Sirius, and Vega; the former had to practically crawl on all fours and crane his neck low to fit in the room.  
"I didn't expect to see anyone other than Sirius; what brings you two here? Achernar, Vega?" Kai asked, sitting up.  
"I wanted to ask if you would be able to identify some artifacts that I brought from a recent dig," Achernar spoke.  
"Perhaps when they let me out, I'd be glad to. Maybe you could bring something here?"  
"I'll have Sirius do it. I hate this room."  
The vixen stayed silent.  
"Anyways, I brought food," Sirius stated, sliding the tray under the bars. On it was a bowl of rice, a chocolate chip cookie, and a glass of what appeared to be milk.  
"No chicken; finally. I also expected three cookies."  
"Hey, I take that personally," he answered, insulted. "And this is just to make sure it's made right. We don't really eat chocolate, nor bake human-style cookies."  
He picked up the round, crisp treat and took a bite; immediately he gagged.  
"Something wrong?" Sirius asked.  
"It's awful. Where's the butter?"  
"We don't cook with butter, we had him use shortening."  
"There's a cookbook in the basement, item#19104. Achernar will help you find it. Make a real cookie, for God's sake."

Next, he picked up the glass of milk and swirled it.  
"I can already tell that this isn't milk."  
"Well, fuck me!" Sirius shouted. "What do you want us to do? Find a pregnant cow and steal from her?!"  
"If that's what it takes," Kai stated, taking a small sip. "I will say, the flavor's not too bad, but the consistency is a hate crime; it's like drinking liquid starch. Here, you try."  
He stuck the glass through the bars, but Sirius didn't reach for it, instead opting to fold his arms.  
"I'd rather not."  
"Fine; next time, bring me a glass of _real_ milk, and good cookies."  
"What's the deal with your obsession of milk and cookies, anyways?"  
"Milk products and traditional pastries are two of the only three things that I can't have now. Besides, it brings me pleasure to spite the Court."  
"Out of curiosity, what's the third?"  
"Red meat."  
They gave a look of disgust.  
"Well, technically that's not true, but it's just not the same; it's all awful. Denebola's liver just tasted… bad, for lack of a better—"  
"YOU WHAT?!" Sirius howled.  
"What, you wanted me to let it go to waste?"  
"I _wanted_ you to have left it inside of him, where it belonged; preferably not killed him either."  
"You know I had to."  
"Just eat so I can go and get some work done," he muttered, rubbing his temples.

Kai ate quickly, and Sirius pilfered the tray and absconded with Achernar.  
"You haven't spoken a single word, and you're still here," Kai observed, glancing at Vega.  
"Well, I have a quick question."  
"Shoot."  
"Humans can cure rabies, right?"  
"Where did that question come from?"  
"Well, you see: I'm worried that someone might have rabies."  
"Why's that?"  
"He was bitten by a strange-acting fox."  
"Did you give him vaccine and immunoglobulin?"  
"He was already vaccinated, so just a supplementary dose."  
"So what's the problem?"  
"He developed a slight cough and a fever by the time I gave him the second dose this morning."  
Kai chuckled.  
"It's most likely some unrelated sickness, relax."  
"I don't know, I'm just worried."  
"Well, rabies was eradicated in 1980, right?"  
"Yes."  
"That and the fact he was vaccinated means that he can't have it. Unless, of course, the fox that bit him broke out of one of your father's labs."  
"How did you know about that?!"  
"I only guessed. I'm sorry, but if that's actually the case, I'm afraid your patient is a goner."  
"Why?!"  
"Rabies was eradicated. Naturally, that means the only strains around are highly weaponized."  
"That doesn't make any sense!"  
"Ask your father. Classic rabies became waterborne and bloodborne before it was eradicated, right? That most likely means that whatever he's got is probably airborne, too."  
"Airborne… rabies? But my father wouldn't do that!"  
"Like I said, ask. If he made the disease, he would probably have a cure for it, too."  
"A cure… that's a good idea!" She ran out the door without saying another word.

Not long after that, a gazelle came into the room with shears, a fine-toothed comb, a mirror, and other grooming necessities.  
"Just set them down anywhere," Kai stated.  
"I was instructed not to let you get a hold of anything," she replied, unlocking the cell door. "Sit, please." She motioned to the chair outside the bars. Rolling his eyes, he sat down. She gave him the mirror and began trimming his hair short, roughly an inch in length.  
"You're pretty good at this, considering you've never done this before," Kai casually mentioned. In the mirror, he could see her glaring.

When she finished with his hair, she walked around to inspect her work.  
"How short do you want your…"  
"Beard?"  
"Right."  
"Just give me the razor, I'll do it myself."  
"I was instructed not to—"  
"No one touches my face but me," he said coldly, practically growling.  
"I—er… don't tell anyone I did this." She handed him the straight razor and took two very large steps back.  
Kai took his time shaving himself clean until his face was smooth. In the end, when he attempted to return the razor, the gazelle sheepishly reached her arm out as far as she could to retrieve it.  
"Come on, I don't bite."  
She snatched the razor out of his hand, grabbed the rest of her supplies, locked him back in the cell, and quickly left.

As he was washing up, a black fox stormed into the room.  
"What is this I hear you've told my daughter?" he demanded to know.  
"Ah, I presume you are Regulus?" Kai responded, turning the faucet off and drying his face.  
"Answer me."  
"What a lovely color your fur is."  
"TELL ME WHAT YOU TOLD HER, EXACTLY!" he shouted.  
"What did she tell you?"  
"She asked about a cure to my specialized strains of rabies; the only place she could have learned about them is from you. Who told you?!"  
"Regulus, Regulus, Regulus…" Kai spoke, shaking his head. "Time is a flat circle."  
"What?"  
"All that we have ever done, or will ever do, we will do over, and over, and over again, forever."  
"You're talking in riddles! How did you know I had weaponized strains?!"  
"We eradicated smallpox in 1980; we kept it, weaponized it, and then released it. We eradicated polio in 2071; again: we kept it, weaponized it, and released it. The same thing happened with dengue: eradicated 2143, weaponized, and released into the United Republic of the Nile, killing half of the population in less than two weeks. It doesn't take a genius to guess that if you eradicated rabies, you would keep a few strains and weaponize them. The only question is, did you have the foresight to make a cure, or did you just unwittingly create an epidemic in the city?"  
"We obtained custody of our escapee from the police, and tracked his route enough to know that he didn't infect anyone else. Now, as soon as she tells me who her mystery patient is, I'm having him moved into one of the Bureau's bio-4 labs in Tundratown."  
"But you don't plan on curing him, do you? No, you plan on studying whether or not the disease will progress in the way you intend; that's why she'll never tell you."  
The fox roared in frustration and stomped off.

* * *

 **The Next Day  
Morning**

Altair had returned with a tray of food and a letter. On the tray appeared to be a bowl of rice, a glass of milk, and three cookies.  
"Here you go, you sick bastard," he stated, sliding the tray under. "As for the letter, I couldn't be certain she wouldn't use a handwriting cypher, so I had her type it instead."  
"Paranoid, as usual."  
"Whatever, I don't care what you think of me." He handed the man the letter through the bars.

Kai picked up the glass of milk, swirling it. It appeared to be real milk this time. He took a small sip, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an actual cold glass of milk.  
"I'm impressed," he stated.  
"I'm really not, to be honest. We're all kind of disgusted."  
Next, he grabbed one of the round biscuits and took a bite; it, too, tasted authentic.  
"Real butter. You stuck to the recipe."  
"Satisfied?"  
"More or less." He finished the meal, and Altair left with the tray.

As he picked up the letter and opened it, he felt eager to read its contents. He took his time reading each word:

 _Dear Kai,  
First of all, Rufus was the wolf. I thought you, as CO, would remember that._

The phrase he had written to throw the court off turned out to be unnecessary; the reply was probably written by Leora, after all.

 _It's been hard; police work isn't easy, especially after just getting out of these casts._

Just? He had given her panacea. Why just?

 _I don't really have any stories to tell. I guess there is one: my landlord didn't actually kill me. After I gave him a police statement, I managed to get insurance to pay for the repairs, so I'm all nice and cozy back in my old place. Felix took good care of me while I was waiting for the repairs to finish, so I guess I owe him one. I hope they're treating you alright._

Sincerely,  
Leora.

It seemed like she was alright, albeit something was suspicious about the letter. He shook it off; perhaps Felix forgot to deliver the panacea to her, or perhaps he lost it.

There was a knock on the door.  
"You don't have to knock to enter a jail," Kai shouted. In timidly walked Vega; her body was bruised, she had a black eye, and she hung her head low. "What happened?"  
"It's not important; you were right. My father does have weaponized strains."  
"He visited me several hours after you did."  
"He also doesn't have a cure."  
"He implied that, as well."  
"He took my love."  
"I'm sorry."  
"The only question I have left is, can humans cure rabies?"  
"It depends on how far it's progressed."  
"Initial fever."  
"I can cure that. I can probably cure it up until the post-furious stage; after that, I think his chance of survival approaches zero."  
"Can you come to the lab to take a look?"  
"You'll have to ask the Court about that."  
"Neal has days, at best! I can't waste time with bureaucracy!"  
"If I broke out, they would kill the leopardess."  
"They wouldn't, I promise! Please, you have to come!"  
"I can't take your word for that, I'm sorry."  
"No, you don't understand, they can't kill her!"  
"Why not?"  
"She's not in the city!"  
"She's… what?"  
"Two months ago, Sirius reported to the court that she left for the Southeast Orient, she went to Sagarmatha to escape the court's sphere of influence."  
Kai's expression immediately shifted to one of calm anger, and he walked up to the bars.  
"I thought the letter was suspicious. Why had no one told me this earlier?"  
"They thought that if you knew, you wouldn't agree to stay here."  
"They thought correctly. Tell me, where are they keeping my gear?"  
"I think it's in the storage closet adjacent the one for the masks."  
"Go there and get me my gauntlets. At least one, preferably both."  
"I was told you could bend the bars, why do you need claws?"  
"I can't get this collar off safely without them; if I break the current limiter, I could kill myself. I know the weak link is in the back, I just need something sharp and non-conductive to sever it."  
"I'll be right back, give me ten minutes," she stated, running out the door.

Eight minutes later, she returned with both of his gauntlets; she slid them through the bars. He put the right one on, and with his left hand, stretched the collar's links as far as they would go. He slid the index claw into the weak link and severed the wires holding it together, causing the collar to fall apart.  
"Free at last," he stated, breathing a sigh of relief. He quickly put on his second gauntlet, and pried the bars apart. "I don't have long; I need you to take me to wherever you got these. I have other gear I need to get."  
"Right!" she stated, nodding.  
She peeked her head out the door, looked both ways, and motioned for him to follow. She scampered down the hall, cornered a left, then a right, and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks on a corner; Kai hugged the wall behind her.  
"Vega, fancy seeing you here," a voice said.  
"Sirius, what a… Hello," she replied. "What are you doing here?"  
"Here to see the man, Achernar wanted me to ask him a question."  
"What kind of question? I'll go for you."  
"No, thanks for offering though. I haven't seen him since he got his haircut, and I wanted to make fun of him for it. Besides, there was an… offer I wanted to discuss further."  
"Can you keep a secret," Kai spoke from around the corner.  
"Who said that?"  
The man stepped out.  
"What—what are you doing out here?!"  
"I know the leopardess is gone. I can't stay here any longer."  
"I… I… I—If they find out you're gone, they'll immediately blame me!"  
"I can remedy that." Kai immediately put Sirius into a chokehold, rendering the wolf unconscious in a matter of seconds.  
"What did you do that for?" Vega asked.  
"That way, when they find him, they'll think I escaped on my own and attacked him. If he's smart, he'll tell them that that's exactly what happened."  
She nodded.

They walked down the rest of the hallway and into a storage closet; on the floor was a box that contained his mask, dart gun, ammo, and disguise projector, and hanging from one of the racks was his overcoat and vest. He quickly got dressed.  
"It feels so good to have this back on."  
"Alright, let's get to the lab."  
"You've already helped a lot, but if they see me following you, you might face repercussions. Where is the lab? I'll meet you there tonight."  
"Why tonight? We should be there as soon as possible!"  
"Security and staff will be lower at night. I also need to get equipment. Right now, I'm packing light; I would much rather have a lot heavier firepower than a dart gun. I also need to set up some… weapons of last resort, so to speak, in case the Court decides to get a little trigger-happy."  
"Okay; do you know where the Bureau for Disease Control's Tundratown public campus is? The lab is the North-most building on the campus."  
"Tonight at 8, then. I'll meet you at the door; bring the key, or whatever you need to get in."  
Kai turned to leave, but she grabbed his coattail.  
"Please don't skip out. I'm begging you."  
He saw her tear up.  
"Hey, he's my subordinate, too. Don't think for a moment that I'd let him die."  
She let go, and he ran off.

The goat did a double take as he exited, but a tranquilizer dart quickly knocked him off of the list of Kai's worries. He escaped into the chilly morning air, and found that snow was slowly drifting from the sky. He removed his gauntlet and caught a flake to watch how it melted slowly in his palm. It had been centuries since he had experienced the feeling; however, it was no time to reminisce. He quickly replaced the gauntlet and set out for his bunker.

He reached it in a little under twenty minutes, and vaulted the banister to the underground. Now that he was free, he had a lot more to worry about: the Court would attempt to strike at his squad, they would attempt to capture him again, and they would slander his persona as the ambassador; assuming that it still existed, that is.

Kai couldn't afford to worry about the future; he lived in the present, like all living things, and there was much work to be done in 'the now'. He had to gear up to invade a biohazard level-4 government lab, figure out how to keep his squad safe, and get the off-site missile tubes back in functioning order. If the Court ever got all six, or nearly all six, of his subordinates, he could keep a nuclear arsenal as his trump card. The convenience of the bunker's missile tubes being drilled into the ground many miles away from his residence was that they would be unable to trace the launch site back to him; the inconvenience would be that he would have to travel miles to get them set up. On the bright side, he still had at least ten hours until he was supposed to meet with the vixen, so he had plenty of time to get everything in working order; in addition, the older missiles that were loaded in the tubes had uranium primaries, which he didn't need to replace due to the isotope's long half-life. All he had to do was check to make sure the hatch was in functioning order, perhaps replace a bolt or two, and be on his way.

He grabbed the toolkit designed for servicing the ballistics silos (it seemed as if the bunker's architects really had thought of everything when they were stocking it), and made the loop around the mountain range. Only one bolt needed replacing, although a few needed tightening; in addition, exposure to the elements had knocked some connectors loose, and he had reconnected them as well. When he returned, the big screen indicated that everything was functional. The last thing he needed to do was fix the portable satellite display, which he did by inserting the two capacitors that were sitting finished (which he had never gotten to) on one of the fabricators. Ideally, he would have also finished the rare-earth capacitors to be inserted in the bunker's base relay to increase the signal strength several hundred-fold, but as long as he didn't stray more than fifty miles from the mountains, he would have access to the missile silos. However, due to the time he spent fixing up his nuclear arsenal, he was now down to two hours to get geared up and to the laboratory.

Kai pocketed the display, barreled down the long hallway to the armory, and began selecting from the refurbished weaponry.  
 _You'd really destroy the city for six mammals?_  
"Not now. I don't have time for this."  
 _It's your ultimatum, but think about it: how many innocents will die? Twenty warheads on a single missile…_  
"Not my concern."  
The voice didn't respond, but he swore he heard a long, drawn out sigh. He scanned the shelves of weapons and took a silenced handgun, a silenced collapsible carbine, and his helical railgun; he restocked his assortment of grenades and tactical devices, and ditched the pain darts, instead opting for paralyzing ones. Next, he visited the medical quarters and stocked up on a large variety of medications. Although he wasn't sure if he could cure rabies in one visit, he could certainly stall it with a large assortment of antivirals; ironically, despite being named 'panacea', the red fluid most likely wouldn't help much, if at all, in a scenario against a weaponized virus. However, he took a couple of vials anyways: one just to give it a try, and one in the event that there were unforeseen complications in his assault.

Before he set out, he set one of the fabricators to make more medicine for Sirius. It would most likely take several hours (if not overnight) to finish, and he didn't want one of his very few allies in the Court to drift farther from him.

Now that his business in his base was finished, he activated his wolf's visage before racing up the stairs and to the city. As he approached, he quickly climbed to the rooftops; at this point, it was standard procedure, but he had to be extra cautious, as he knew the Court would be looking for him by now. After a while, the Tundratown Wall was several blocks away.

Suddenly, Kai heard a dart whiz by and hit the rooftop next to him; a second dart hit the tail of his coat. He instantly came to a stop, slid around, retrieved the carbine from under his coat, and unfolded it before taking aim; there, he saw them: two snipers, both in tactical gear, on opposite rooftops. Neither wore an insignia of any sort; Kai suspected they were Altair's agents. That is, they knew who to shoot at, but not why.

Two quick shots put them both out of commission. Although the first one went down instantly, the second one attempted to dive out of the way; his efforts only caused him to fall off of the rooftop when the bullet traced a path through his lung.  
 _You could have just ignored them. They couldn't have taken you down, and you know it._  
"It wasn't a lethal shot until he dove. Besides, when did you become so righteous?"  
No response. He continued past the Tundratown Wall and along the rooftops until he reached a clearing in the Northern end of the district: the Bureau's campus.

He descended to street level and continued, as inconspicuously as he could, to the North-most building on the campus. He still had twenty minutes until he was supposed to meet with Vega; however, she was already leaning inconspicuously against the wall near the door. She was wearing a lab uniform, complete with badge, and was holding a lit cigarette; however, the way she held it, and the fact that she wasn't actually inhaling when she brought it to her mouth, indicated that it was only a ruse to keep others from bothering her until he had arrived.

Kai approached the vixen, and she hurriedly brought the cigarette to her lips.  
"You're not actually smoking it, don't bother," he spoke.  
"Who are you?" she asked, flicking the butt into the snow.  
"I'm here to help you fix up your boyfriend."  
"Procyon? I thought you… I don't know how you pulled it off, but weren't you gray before?"  
"There were complications. Let's get going before someone asks what I'm doing here. Altair already suspects something; he had his agents shoot at me earlier."  
"Good idea; we don't really have much time to lose, anyways. Hold on for just a moment." She swiped her card, opened the door, and reached inside. "There aren't too many researchers still here, but I figured better safe than sorry." She pulled out a labcoat and threw it at him.  
"Huh, deja vu."  
"Pardon?"  
"Not too long ago, I broke into a lab similar to this one, also with a fox; the only difference is, I was giving him the labcoat."  
"I see; anyways, I don't have a badge for you. That, and you'll need to ditch the coat."  
He held the labcoat up to the light.  
"Unfortunately, I don't think this will quite cover the… equipage that I have brought with me."  
"That being?"  
"You don't really need to know."  
"So what do you suggest, then?"  
"That depends: how expendable are the researchers?"  
"How could you even ask that?!"  
"Alright: how tight is security?"  
"Very."  
"Then we might have a problem. I could potentially blow out the cameras, but—"  
"There aren't any cameras. The system's down for maintenance until tomorrow; I saw to that."  
"Clever," Kai complemented.  
"The downside is that there are a lot more guards."  
"I don't suppose I could flood the ventilation system with knock-out gas?"  
"This is a biohazard-4 lab, brute force isn't the solution. They have all their vaccinations up to date, the rooms are all independently ventilated with high-quality filters, and I don't think you brought enough tranquilizer darts for everyone."  
"Or bullets, from what you're describing."  
"I forbid lethal force."  
"There we go."  
"Surely you can make a stealthy entrance?"  
"I'm not the world's best assassin for nothing. Get me a clipboard and a hard hat."  
"Why?"  
"You can get them, can't you?"  
"Sure, the tech closet is just down the hall, but why?"  
"You're the daughter of the proprietor of this facility. All I have to do is look official enough walking next to you and no one will think twice about it."  
"Again, why?"  
"I can already tell that a labcoat won't work: first of all, it won't conceal my equipment; second of all, I'm sure most researchers would know each other in a facility this small. A new face would be suspicious. An outside contractor, on the other hand…"  
"Well, you know best, I guess." She took the labcoat back, and entered the building, leaving the door to slowly shut. Before it could close completely, she returned with the promised hard hat and clipboard. Kai donned the helmet and held the clipboard out in front of him.  
"Let's go."

They entered the building and walked down a rather wide hallway. They made it exactly twenty paces around the first corner before they were stopped by a pair of mammals who, judging by their uniforms, were the lab's security.  
"Doctor Karahan, who is this?" one of them asked.  
"Louis Daguerre," Kai spoke without pause, extending a paw to shake. "As I understand, the camera system is down for maintenance and upgrade; I'm here to plan out better positions for camera placement."  
"Is this true, doctor?"  
Vega nodded.  
"Very well." They radioed to the rest of the guards not to bother the doctor and her engineer, and went along their way. When they were well out of sight, Vega gave a deep sigh of relief.  
"How did you know that would work?" she asked.  
"It always works."  
"Louis Daguerre?"  
"One of the inventors of the camera."  
She gave a light chuckle, before continuing along their path.

They entered onto a suspended walkway in a very cold room, and Vega gave some idle explanation.  
"The 'cold room'. We use this as the ventilation hub; it's connected straight to the outside, which saves a lot on cooling costs."  
After they exited the 'cold room', they descended down a large number of stairs, before entering a hallway with a large number of adjoined rooms, most of them giving off a dim yellow light from their windows.  
"I hate this hall," the vixen spoke. "Every room looks the same, and there's no real organization with the samples."  
"What about the color?"  
"I don't really have a problem with it, but some researchers complain that they have a hard time differentiating; it's a mess, but we need it, since higher frequency light would destroy some of the samples."  
"You have light-sensitive virions?"  
"The plates we store them one have specialized diodes and transistor circuits to measure various readings; it's not so much the biological components as the mechanical ones that can't take it."  
They passed every room, and then through two sets of double doors that Vega had to swipe her card to get past; a quick flight of stairs up, and then they were at another hallway.

This hallway was different, however. It seemed that every room in this one was dedicated to housing patients, as evidenced by the large beds, IV racks, and numerous cabinets of medical supplies. The doors to the rooms were very large, and externally sealing; in between the hall and each room was a decontamination room, which held a small number of sealed suits of different sizes for dealing with patients of airborne diseases; in addition, the large viewing windows had a computer console underneath, with a large array of buttons. One especially interesting button was small, bright red, and hidden beneath a glass box and a flip switch, also requiring a turn-key to press. Vega, noticing how Kai stared at the button, gave a brief explanation.  
"They call that button the 'deep six'."  
"Why?"  
"Because if they push it, whatever's left of you will be a deep six feet under."  
"What does it do?"  
"These rooms are for containing patients of particularly dangerous viruses. If the patient comes to a point where it is no longer safe to enter the room, or if the virus mutates to an extremely dangerous strain, they hit the button. The room floods with cyanogen and ozone, and after a short delay, it ignites and burns at five thousand degrees centigrade for three minutes. It's a heinously expensive system to maintain, and it cost about three million per room to set up, but it works very well."  
"Doesn't it destroy the rooms?"  
"It did, until they decided that spending a million rebuilding the rooms each time was a waste of government resources, so they rebuilt it using ablative heat shields beneath the white tile. That way, they only have to replace about three-hundred dollars worth of tile instead of a million dollars worth of infrastructure."  
"Let's hope wherever they're keeping Neal—"  
"It's just down the hall," she interrupted, not wanting him to finish the thought.

They eventually arrived at the end of the hallway, and looked through the viewing glass: there, restrained in the bed, was the white fox.  
"Alright, let's get suited up, and we can go in and get him all patched up," Vega spoke.  
"Suited up?"  
"It's airborne. I don't exactly want to catch it."  
"Don't bother, then. You should stay on the lookout, in case anyone comes."  
"But what about you?"  
"I'm immune."  
"Humans are immune to rabies? Were you vaccinated or is it an innate—"  
A pair of voiced sounded from around the corner, all the way down the hall; quiet at first, but slowly approaching closer.  
"Who is that?" Kai asked.  
"I don't know, but they must have come from the west wing; we can probably ignore them. I suspect it might be—" she paused and her ears twitched as she tried to listen to the voice. "It's my father."  
"Should we hide?"  
"Yes!"  
As the voices got closer, they both jumped into the decontamination room attached to Neal's room.

"… and perhaps you need to listen to her more," a second voice rang out.  
"Listen to her? She needs to listen to me! She never listens, she never obeys!" Regulus barked.  
"Why does she need to? She's an adult now."  
"She is still my daughter, and she is still a Karahan. As long as I am the patriarch of the family, she will follow my orders."  
Vega gave a very quiet, yet still noticeable noise of disgust.  
"Why are you always mad with her? Even when she does well you are still mad with her."  
"You don't need to know." There was a noise of rustling papers. "Viral load is extremely high… this is bad."  
"Why is that bad?"  
"It's only been a day; I made the virus too efficient. He might not live long enough for us to study him." A loud beep sounded. "Hello? Rav? Mr. Snowburrow, can you hear me?"  
A loud grunt meant that he could.  
"I am Dr. Karahan, the city's top virologist and head of this facility; I brought with me Dr. Viverin, chief psychologist among our faculty. We were hoping we could speak with you."  
"Tired."  
"We know, and we're working on curing you; however, since what you have is a very rare strain, we want to figure out all of the symptoms in case this happens again."  
"Ask away."  
"How do you feel?" Viverin asked.  
"Extremely tired."  
"No, what I meant was, do you feel upset? Angry?"  
"I'm kinda pissed that I'm in this situation."  
"Why?"  
"I was told that I have rabies. I got vaccinated, and I thought it was eradicated. Now, I'm sitting here hooked up to a hundred machines, I feel like shit, and my girlfriend told me that rabies is incurable when symptoms start to appear."  
A strained squeak could be heard when Neal said the word 'girlfriend'.  
"Could you excuse us for a moment, please?" Viverin said.  
"It's not like I'm going anywhere."

A beep indicated that the intercom was turned off.  
"What the hell was that, Regulus?" Viverin asked, annoyed.  
"You know I don't approve of my daughter dating that… inferior species."  
"Where do you draw the line then? Is the tanuki an inferior species because we aren't melanistic red foxes?"  
"That's not what I meant! _I_ will find her a suitor! Until then, she should focus on her research!"  
"I'm not that kind of psychologist, Regulus, but I did study mammalian instincts and basal psychology for my magisterial degree. She's in love, and in all known species, love ranks higher on the list than parents. You think she is rebellious, she thinks you're being stubborn."  
"She knows what I think about other species."  
"Love transcends all boundaries, Regulus; even the fact that he's a different subspecies won't deter her if she really loves him."  
"I'd rather six him than bother trying to cure him. If she wants him, she can have his ashes in an urn on her dresser."  
Kai heard a rustling; Vega was getting into a suit.  
"What are you doing?" he whispered.  
"I can't let him kill Neal! He won't burn the room if I'm in it."  
"Fine. I'm staying here in case I need to go into the hall." He took several vials from his vest and handed them to her. "Human antivirals; they might not kill the virus, but they will at least slow it down until I can get stronger medicines synthesized."  
"Thank you," she mouthed, before donning the large hood and opening the door to Neal's room.

Several bangs on the viewing window, and the intercom beeped again.  
"What is the meaning of this?!" Regulus shouted.  
Vega ignored him, instead attaching the vials to his IV line.  
"Love, Karahan," Viverin stated calmly.  
"Lyra, you will get out of that room RIGHT NOW!" Regulus screamed.  
"Or what?" Vega spoke. "You'll beat me again, like you did yesterday? You'll call security to drag me out?"  
"That second one wasn't a bad idea; come to think of it, the first one wasn't, either. I **will** call the guards, and they **will** drag you out."  
"Why can't you see that I can cure him, father?"  
"Nothing can cure him! It's a weaponized strain!"  
"A what?" Neal muttered weakly.  
"That's right, a weaponized strain. The arctic fox that bit you was a researcher that had some ulterior motives; he injected himself with the wrong strain and wandered off."  
"Wrong strain? You allow mammal testing?!" Vega shouted.  
"Of course we do. How else do you think anything gets approved? Of course, it was never meant to be this virus, it was meant to be a vaccine for a strain of influenza; somehow, he managed to switch a couple of vials. When I find out who helped him, I'll have them killed, but no matter what, I can't let Mr. Snowburrow leave the building."  
"And what happened to the researcher?"  
"The rabies already killed him. It'll kill your _beloved_ in a short eight hours at this rate. Get out, now."  
"I can cure him! I have human antivirals, they for-a-fact can fix this!"  
"Human anti—… Wait a minute… YOU BROKE HIM OUT!"  
"Yes; as a matter of fact, I did. You were keeping him there on a lie to begin with, and you weren't getting anything useful done with him. So, I got him out. Now, I have antivirals, and I can save Neal's life, if only you would just stop hounding me for five minutes!"

Regulus stared for a long time, and eventually took out his radio.  
"I need security to come to the patient holding labs; there's a rogue researcher."  
"Father!"  
"You forced my paw, Lyra."  
"Even when you know I'm right, you still refuse to listen."  
"All you had to do was listen to me."  
"Why do you hate me, even when I try to make you proud?"  
"What are you talking about? I'm proud of you, I always have been."  
"You don't act like it. My twenty-fourth birthday, I got my doctorate. Second youngest to ever graduate from the faculty of medicine at Zootopia University. What did you do?"  
Regulus only narrowed his gaze.  
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"  
"I made you my protege."  
"No, you struck me and asked why I couldn't have done it at twenty-three, like you did!"  
"Karahan?" Viverin asked.  
"And again, when I discovered the capsid width of arctic rabies, sequenced the genome, and asked for funding to make a vaccine?"  
No response.  
"You had the paper wiped from the Bureau's archives, because you thought it wasn't written to a high enough standard, and then denied me funding."  
"IT'S BECAUSE I WANTED A TOD, AND NOT A VIXEN! NOW THAT MY WIFE IS DEAD, I'LL NEVER GET ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR _YOU_!"  
Vega recoiled, and took a step back.  
"So that's it, then. Everything I did to make you proud, invalidated because I'm the wrong gender." She removed her hood and threw it to the ground, before giving Neal a long, drawn out kiss. As she drew away, she stared at her father for dramatic effect. "Now you can't take me from this room. The strain of _your design_ will make sure of that."  
"NO!" Regulus shouted, banging on the glass.  
"Don't worry, I can fix it. Now, you'll just have to let me."

Regulus began to weep, his tears falling to the floor.  
"What's wrong, Karahan?" Viverin inquired.  
"The human knows he can't cure the virus."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"If he thought he could, he would be here to view the symptoms, before carefully choosing a drug. He wouldn't give five at random to her to administer. Now that she foolishly infected herself…" He reached a paw into his labcoat and tore a key from off of a necklace.  
"Father, what are you doing?"  
He inserted the key into the console and turned it.  
"You know what I'm doing. I can't bear to watch you die like this. You say you love him… the least I can offer you two is the opportunity to die together."  
"Father!" she ran to the window and slammed her clenched fist against it.  
"I'm sorry."  
He put his paw onto the big red push button.  
"Wait," Kai shouted, before exiting into the hallway.  
"Who said that?"  
"The human."  
"You're not him. Don't lie."  
"I have medicine that _can_ cure them. She has some with her as we speak. You just have to let her try. Call off your security and step back from the console."  
They stood and stared at each other for a very long time. Regulus eventually looked into the room to his daughter.  
"Do as he asks; please, father," Vega pleaded.

Regulus looked back to Kai, closed his eyes, and slammed the palm of his paw onto the button.

* * *

 **A/N: Haha, I didn't cheat with the word count this time! Forgive any typos, please.**

 **Also the next chapter is ready, but I have absolutely no clue what to name it. I'll put it up when I figure out a title. The chapter heading for this one isn't very good, but you guys waited long enough as-is.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #29: The flag erected on the moon by the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission was quite literally bought at a local Sears for $5.50 prior to the launch.**


	30. Chapter XXVI: The Arrangement

Immediately, a strobe began to blink, and a metal shutter slammed on the interior of the window, cutting the room off from the rest of the world. Kai lunged at the black fox at the console, seizing him by the collar and slamming him into the glass.  
"What did you do?!" he shouted into the fox's face.  
"I'll miss her."  
The man pinched Regulus' collarbone until it broke, but the fox seemed unfazed.  
"How do I fix it?!"  
"You can't. Three minutes—"  
"Listen to me!" Vega shouted, her voice carrying through the speakers. "At the end of the hall, second to last door on the left is a stairwell. Two floors down is the maintenance level, you'll find all the shutoffs. You have to find the incinerator shutoff for room one, and—" The speaker cut off with a whine, and Regulus sighed.  
"The computer is shutting down all systems non-essential for a clean burn," he spoke, as if he didn't care that his daughter was trapped inside.

Kai threw the fox to the floor, and sprinted down the hall. Counting from when the strobe first flashed, he had two minutes and thirty-four seconds. Four doors from the end, three doors… There was a security blockade, three large mammals in uniform with tranquilizer guns.  
"Freeze! Show your ID!" they shouted. He drew his handgun and put a bullet through each of their skulls. He didn't have time to waste with them.

He stopped at the second door and tried the handle: locked. He stepped back and kicked it down, before leaping through and bounding down the stairs, one flight at a time. Two minutes even, he still had time. When he reached two floors down, he kicked the door open.

Hundreds of valves and pipes lined the walls of the very narrow hallway; there were large tanks that were interspersed every several feet behind the pipes, labeled (CN)2 and O3, bundled with one of each to a pair. He raced to the end of the hall, but it seemed endless, and needlessly wound around back and forth. One minute. The signs above read numbers, which he assumed to be the room numbers, and were slowly descending: 8, 7, 6…

Eventually, he reached 1. Forty seconds. He began searching among the large panels for valves to shut off the flow of gasses. Oxygen, medical air, ventilation… he could find everything except for what he needed. Twenty seconds. There it was, the ignition panel: oxidizer and fuel valves. He attempted to rotate the oxidizer valve, but found that it wouldn't budge, even under his immense strength. Ten seconds. He attempted the other valve, and the same thing: in fact, the rusted handle broke as he tried to shut it off. Five seconds.

Cursing the bad engineering, he drew his knife and reached behind the piping, severing the hoses coming out of the large tanks. Immediately, a siren sounded and gas began rushing out; however, the flow quickly subsided as the emergency valves built into the canisters stopped the leaks. His work complete, he took a moment to collect his thoughts: he had two seconds left before the system would have ignited. He began the long walk out, back towards the room.

As he stepped over the bodies of the security, he heard an unfamiliar voice call out to him: his own.  
 _Why? You could have ran past them._  
"They would have interrupted me. It was the logical conclusion. I won't play your games, not now."  
 _What if you were in their position?_  
"I would never be."

He turned the first corner, and found the tanuki, Viverin, standing and breathing heavily.  
"What happened?" Kai asked.  
"I couldn't watch. I couldn't."  
"What happened?!" he asked again, this time with more urgency.  
"You didn't make it."  
"That's impossible, I kept track of time."  
"She was shouting and banging against the shutter, I…" The doctor paused and shook his head.

Kai quickly ran past and closed the remaining distance. There, at the console, Regulus was staring blankly into the glass, and smiling. Just behind him, Altair with two agents.  
"Human. Come with us," the rabbit stated.  
"No. Regulus, open the door."  
The fox didn't answer. Kai quickly grabbed him by his arm and dislocated it, before slamming him face-first into the ground.  
"OPEN THE DOOR!"  
"I… can't…"  
"WHY NOT?!"  
"Electromagnetically sealed, if I remember anything from my tour," Altair supplemented.  
"Open the shutter, then!"  
"Key… left, then out," Regulus muttered.  
Kai rotated the key counterclockwise and removed it. The shutter slowly retracted. As it pulled up, Vega's paw fell from the shutter into the glass, leaving a bloody pawprint. It appeared to Kai as if she had cut Neal from his restraints, dragged him to the window, and then clawed in vain; first until her fingers were bloody, and then pressing on until the bitter end.  
"The gas, if you were wondering," Altair stated.  
"What?"  
"Three minutes to ignite, but the room fills with gas so it can burn faster. I'm sure you already know the gasses are ozone and cyanogen, both of which are extremely toxic. It's over, come with us."

Kai stared blankly for a moment, before lifting Regulus to his feet.  
"What's the standard time window to resuscitate a fox?"  
"Twelve minutes, but they died from inhalation. You can't resuscitate that," Altair stated.  
"Regulus will try."  
"Apprehend him," Altair stated, motioning casually with a paw. His two agents stepped forward, drawing their tranquilizers.  
"You won't shoot me."  
One of the agents fired three darts. Kai caught them between his right fingers. Three more darts, which he caught with his left.  
"Altair, how many darts does it take to overdose a black panther?"  
No answer.  
"Let's find out." He leaped forward and punctured the first agent's neck with all six darts, before throwing him to the ground. He then flipped the second agent onto his back and jabbed him in the nose, knocking him unconscious.  
"That won't kill him, the compound in those darts was specifically designed to be incapable of overdosing someone. Besides, you knocked out two agents: so what?"  
"Fix the foxes. Now."  
"Look: one of them has late stage rabies, the second one got exposed. They both died of inhalation. There's no medicine that can cure that. Even if there was, we physically can't get into the room."  
Kai drew his railgun and pointed it to the glass.  
"Don't bother, it's bulletproof," Regulus moaned; Kai threw him back onto the floor.  
The man made quick work of the glass, leaving naught but dust and miniscule slivers scattered along the hall.  
"Now you can reach them. The rest of the medicine is on the table. Fix them." He paused for a quick moment, fishing something out of his vest: two red vials, and a third clear one. He set them on the floor. "One red for each, clear for the vixen, everything in the room for the arctic. Problem solved."  
"I refuse to allow the virus to spread, no one leaves this room," Regulus muttered from the floor. "I'm also certainly not resuscitating the only two vectors of the virus."  
Kai took an empty vial from his vest and stepped into the room, drawing blood from Neal.  
"What are you doing?" Altair asked, suspicious of the man's actions.  
"If you fail to resuscitate them, I'll spread the virus."  
The mammals both laughed.  
"You can't do that," Altair laughed. "Not with one vial; you'll dart maybe two mammals, which we can quarantine easily."  
"I'm a human, master of fucking the world up. I'll make an aerosol bomb, capable of spreading the contents of this vial across a five block radius. Seeing as this virus is weaponized, it shouldn't take more than a virion or two to infect even the healthiest mammals. I'd give the city two months before more than half of the population is dead."  
Altair eyed the man.  
"How about we have that drink you offered, and maybe a long talk. Regulus?"  
"What?" the black fox replied.  
"Resuscitate the foxes. Do as he asks."  
"You can't be—"  
"Now."  
Regulus groaned loudly, before beginning to put a lot of requests into his radio.  
"As for you, human: follow me."  
"What about the virus?! It's airborne!" Regulus shouted, tearing his attention from the radio.  
"I highly doubt he could get ill from that distance, and even if I wasn't immune, I'm wearing a gas mask," Kai spoke. "And, if I recall correctly, you have to be symptomatic to spread rabies. You and Viverin have medical masks on, you'll be fine. Besides, I think your attention is better spent _looking after the foxes_."

Regulus grumbled, and then stood, carefully stepping over shards of glass into the room, before beginning his attempts at resuscitation. Kai followed the rabbit down the hall and into an elevator.  
"You have to learn to accept loss, human," Altair stated as the door closed.  
"Loss?"  
"He won't be able to save them."  
"He will. I didn't haul human antivirals and lifesaving medications just so he could fail at saving them."  
"Inhalation, especially of oxalyl cyanide, isn't something that you can recover from. It's in their bloodstream, it's bonded to their cells."  
"You have no idea to what lengths I am going to keep them alive. Do you have any idea how much those antivirals would have cost in my era? Not to mention the panacea. And in your time, when they haven't been synthesized yet—"  
"Panacea? I take it, by the name, that it can fix everything?"  
"Not everything, but just about. The inhalation for sure."  
There was a pause in conversation as the elevator reached the ground level; they exited and made their way to the door.  
"How much?"  
"How much what?"  
"How much would it cost to acquire some?"  
Kai laughed intensely.  
"A single vial, wholesale, was about twelve million dollars. I reckon, considering you have nothing even remotely close to our technology or medicine, that one vial now costs more to produce than the entire city put together, and then on top of that, the closest four cities."  
"How much?"  
"About twenty trillion dollars."  
The rabbit scoffed.  
"There isn't that much money—"  
"In the nation, I know. You don't have any of the precursor technologies, none of the research required. And, before you ask, I'm not parting with a single vial except to save these two."  
"Why not? Think of all the lives you could save!"  
"If you can't save these two with everything I have given you, what proof do I have that you can save anyone with just panacea?"  
"I thought you said it can fix just about anything?"  
"Just about, but not including. It can't cure many viruses, unless the virus is engineered to be killed by it. Bacteria included; most were heavily antibiotic resistant, and we opted to treat them otherwise; despite the fact that there were never any documented cases of bacteria surviving a dose, we didn't want to risk it. Panacea is best saved for physical injury, after every wound is closed, after every break is set. Physical injury, like inhalation."

They exited the building into the frigid winter air.  
"Follow me. I know a good pub near here," the rabbit muttered, walking away.  
They began walking along the sidewalks.  
"You were serious about a drink?"  
"Hey, you asked for one."  
"Yeah, two months ago; _before_ I found out you were lying to me."  
"We did it to protect our interests; surely, you can respect that."  
"You knew where she was, and not once you stopped to ask yourselves if she was alright."  
"We didn't really care, to be honest." Altair shrugged.  
"If I find out that she's hurt, or worse; your city will have to deal with much worse than a viral outbreak."  
"Like what? You certainly won't take up your old ways; I'll just allow my agents to use lethal force."  
"Old ways?"  
"You think I'm dumb, or uninformed; I know you were the serial killer."  
"Then you know what I could do."  
"I also know that I have the best snipers in the world."  
"The same snipers that I encountered today?"  
"One of them was a rookie; it was my fault, to be honest; I didn't expect you to be armed with lethal weapons."  
"You sound like you don't care about your men."  
"My _men_? My agents, you mean. And yes, you're right. They knew when they signed up that they would be expendable. They fulfilled their duty, and they died for their nation."  
"They accomplished nothing. You call them expendable, but they are trained soldiers. Expendable are those that are hardly trained."  
"You tell me about expendable forces, but you, the last human on Earth, agreed to be taken captive for one of several hundred million leopards. Tell me: which of you is more expendable?"  
Kai narrowed his gaze.  
"I lost many men; but never without purpose. If I let her die, that would be a fruitless death, would it not?"  
"If that's how you want to justify it, by all means."

They reached a building, marked only by a dim neon sign that read "Gus' Bar & Grill".  
"Could you get the door?" Altair asked.  
"Too short?" Kai asked harshly, pulling the handle.  
"I could jump for it, but I don't feel like it. Besides, a tall handsome wolf such as yourself could surely do something as simple as pull a handle?"  
The pair entered; all eyes in the bar were upon them, mostly wolves, but a couple of other mammals as well.  
"Jack, welcome back!" the bartender, a polar bear, shouted from across the room.  
"Gus, a pleasure!"  
All eyes went back to their drinks.  
"So, what'll it be? The usual?"  
"Let me guess," Kai started. "Three measures gin, one measure vodka, one half measure citrus bordeaux; shaken very well until ice-cold, then strained into a deep champagne goblet, and served with a thin slice of lemon peel."  
The bartender gave a small chuckle.  
"He's got your order memorized; how did he do that?"  
"Actually," Altair spoke, giving his order a second thought. "Maybe a—"  
"Scotch and soda?"  
The bartender stared.  
"Not that either, I'll have a—"  
"Three parts Campari, three parts red vermouth, and a splash of soda water."  
The bartender's jaw dropped.  
"Do you know this wolf, Jack?" he asked.  
"It's not important, just give me a—"  
"Old fashioned?" Kai supplemented. "Perhaps a Negroni? Mint Julep?"  
"Just give me the first one; vesper martini." The bartender set to work making the cocktail. "Alright, how do you know all of my drink orders?"  
"Introduce yourself."  
"What?"  
"Show me how you introduce yourself."  
"Fine." Altair cleared his throat, and leaned heavily on the bar, before using his free paw to slick his ears back over his head, in a suave fashion. "Savage. Jack Savage."  
Kai began to cackle, again drawing the attention of several other patrons in the bar.  
"I presume you are mid-40s, single, womanizer?"  
"First two, yes. Last one, not anymore. Now that I'm no longer a field agent, I can look into settling down, but no one wants a forty-four year-old rabbit that isn't a farmer. Tell me: how are you guessing this?"  
"James Bond is your biography. Ask Achernar for a copy; there should be at least one in the lodge basement."

"Alright, one vesper martini for the rabbit." The bartender set the drink down and turned to Kai. "What about you?"  
"White Russian."  
"What's in that?"  
"Five parts vodka, two parts coffee liqueur, three parts… cream… never mind, just give me a bottle of the strongest liquor you have."  
The bartender took out a small bottle of very dark beer.  
"Hard liquor," Kai corrected.  
The bartender paused.  
"Is there a problem?"  
"I'm not allowed to serve a wolf more than six shots."  
"Just give it to him, Gus," Altair spoke.  
The polar bear reluctantly pulled out a steel tin from under the bar and gave it to Kai.  
"Just… take it slow, okay?"  
Someone else pulled the barkeep's attention to the other end of the bar, and the polar bear left.

"A full tin? Why?" Altair asked.  
"I hate drinking."  
"Then why order at all?"  
"I'm the only one in the world who can't get drunk." He patted his abdomen. "Liver's too good. So, when I don't drink for taste, I drink strong liquor really fast, and hope I feel at least a small buzz."  
"Lucky. I wish I could drink more than one drink without getting floored."  
"It's a curse in disguise. Let's get back on track."  
"On track?"  
"There are seventeen mammals in this bar; I suspect six of them to be your agents, based on the way they fold their arms: easier to reach their weapons that way. You didn't bring me here for a friendly drink and banter, you brought me here to make demands, or perhaps to distract me from something else. The only question is: what?"  
Altair put his drink down.  
"Alright, here's how it's going to play out," he spoke in a simple tone. "You're going to go back with me to the lodge."  
"Why, pray tell, would I do that?"  
"I did some digging, and found that the leopardess isn't the only one you're friends with. I found out about five more still in the city. With the exception of the dead fox, I already took the liberty of sending agents to their homes."  
Kai laughed.  
"You are such a Bond villain."  
"What?"  
"You're one gold-powered laser away from taking over the world, at this rate."  
"I am prepared to kill them at a moment's notice," Altair hissed impatiently. "If they don't receive word in half an hour, they are to proceed anyways. You can't reach all of them."  
"I can."  
"I'll make the call long before you do."  
"Remember that I have the virus."  
"You'd kill half the city for five? That's incredibly petty."  
"I've killed more for less."  
"In the end, it doesn't matter. Even if I release them, what will you do next? I can travel to Sagarmatha and get the leopardess; you can't follow me, lest you risk the five here."  
"If you harm any of them, I'll just cause an outbreak. Simple as that."  
"You have to be here to cause an outbreak. Besides, I wasn't thinking of harming her." Altair swirled his drink. "More of a… never return to the city type of deal."  
"And how does that benefit you?"  
"It keeps you on a shorter leash."

Kai drank the entire tin of alcohol.  
"Are you familiar with the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction?"  
"No."  
"Well, let me tell you: It's a mad, mad, mad, mad, world."  
"Elaborate."  
"You harm them, I'll ruin the city. It's a stalemate."  
"Except five of the six are _in_ the city."  
"Precisely why I'm not doing anything until you do."  
"And this is why I can't let you gather the six of them. I'll allow Regulus to save the fox, but you can not be permitted to gather them."  
"Why not?"  
"Because then you can leave the city together, and after that, there's nothing stopping you from doing as you please from beyond its outer walls."  
"What do you propose, then?"  
"Simple, really: you stay here, and you don't gather all five of them."  
"What of the leopardess?"  
"What about her?"  
"I haven't heard from her in two months."  
"And it should stay that way. I can't allow you to leave."  
"And if I do?"  
"I'll kill the five."  
"Which means the city dies; you do realize this?"  
"You avoid leaving, and I'll avoid killing them. I'm glad to see we have an arrangement."  
"I'll be damned if I'm not going to see her again." Kai stood, bumped his shoulder as brashly as he could into Altair, and sauntered to the door.  
"The five of them are one phone call from death if you leave the city," the rabbit warned.  
He paused, and turned to face the rabbit.  
"It's fine, I'll just send someone else. See you at tonight's meeting." He gave a sly grin, and exited.  
Altair ran to the door and stuck his head out.  
"It had better not be any of the five!" he shouted.  
"Don't worry, it won't be," Kai spoke over his shoulder.

Altair returned to the bar and finished his drink. He threw a few bills on the counter, and exited; six wolves exited with him.  
"I want you to follow him," Altair stated to them. "Make sure he doesn't leave the city. Notify me of his movements."  
They all nodded, and parted ways. The rabbit took out his phone and made several calls.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
Outside Zootopia**

Kai was waiting at the double doors of the Court chambers; he stole a wolf mask from the storage to conceal his identity. The meeting was supposed to begin twenty minutes ago, but Altair still hadn't showed up.

Suddenly, a rabbit quickly rounded the corner.  
"Glad to see I'm not the only one that's late," he stated, adjusting his robes.  
"I'm fairly certain you are," Kai replied.  
Instantly, the rabbit stopped in place.  
"You actually came. I was notified you left the city, but I held off, considering they reported you were last seen heading this direction... To be honest, I suspected you would pull something off a stunt this stupid."  
"Of course. After all, this meeting's probably going to be about me, like I imagine the last sixty-five were. I figured I would attend. Besides, just because I broke out of your jail doesn't mean I don't want to be a part of your little club."  
The rabbit rolled his eyes extremely pronouncedly.  
"What do you want me to tell them, then?"  
"I don't care. Feel free to mention that I'm sitting in the back."  
"Why do I feel like you have some dastardly plan?"  
"I'm always scheming, Jack," he replied in a faux-evil accent. "You know, I've been wondering: where's Arcturus? What has he been up to?"  
"Military business abroad. He'll be back eventually."  
"I see." Kai opened the door and held it for the rabbit. "Let me get this one for you too, shortstack."  
The rabbit rolled his eyes again, and entered; the man followed closely behind, before breaking away to take a seat among the audience.

As Altair came to the stage, the crowd fell silent.  
"I feel obligated to mention two things. First, I am sorry for my tardiness. Second, and I can't believe I'm mentioning this, the human actually returned."  
The audience fell silent, save for one member that asked for clarification.  
"He is, quite literally, sitting in the back of the room. He walked in with me."  
All eyes went to Kai.  
"Now, I can't imagine _why_ he would be back here, but I suppose it doesn't really matter. He and I came to an agreement earlier today about what he was allowed to do, and what he should not do."  
Kai stood and began walking to the stage.  
"Yes, those were quite the negotiations we had," he stated, taking center stage. "Now, I presume your orders of business were all concerned with what you should do with me. Am I correct?"  
"Yes."  
"Excellent. I suppose we can adjourn right now."  
"Hold on," someone from the crowd shouted. "Why are you here?"  
A chorus of roars backed the question up. Kai raised an arm, and everyone became still.  
"I decided to forgive you all for holding me captive and in the dark for two months. I would not let something so petty keep me from fulfilling my duty as Sirius' protege."  
"What are you talking about?" Altair sputtered.  
"Well, technically, membership is a life term. Mine wasn't revoked when you imprisoned me, nor when I escaped, so I'm still, technically, a part of the Court. I plan on keeping it that way."  
"Why?!"  
"Why not? I know to stay on everyone's good side, and I figure that being here is the best way to do that. Besides, just being in this room gives me great insight into the inner workings of the city. That, and it allows you to keep a closer eye on me."  
Altair tilted his head from side to side, thinking over the statement.  
"Fine. I'll allow it. Any objections?"  
No one spoke up.  
"Then it's decided!" Kai proclaimed. "I'm here to stay. Since we don't have any real orders of business, I'll make you one: I want a real mask. I'm tired of pilfering whichever hand-me-down is available."  
"I suppose we could—"  
"And a private room. My prior residence is, unfortunately, fairly far from the city, and I would hate for a misunderstanding between you and your goons."

* * *

 **The Next Day  
6 AM  
Precinct One  
Downtown Zootopia**

Bogo walked into his office and closed the door behind him. When he turned around, he saw a brown wolf with amber eyes occupying his chair.  
"Excuse me, I don't believe I know you," he stated.  
"Ah, of course, I forgot that I look different now. I used to be the ambassador. I guess now I'm the _former_ ambassador."  
"You have to be kidding me. I thought you left the country."  
"Well, no such luck, I'm afraid."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"As much as it pains me to say this, I need your help."  
Bogo scoffed.  
"Help? Why would I help you?"  
"First, I need your phone."  
"Why?"  
"Well, if you don't mind replacing it, you don't have to give it to me."  
Bogo reluctantly gave his cell phone to the wolf, who put it in his vest; he retrieved a canister and pulled the pin, before setting it on the desk. A small whine rang out, before dying out. The wolf then fished out the phone and began playing with the screen, before selecting one of Bogo's playlists and leaning the device against the window.  
"What are you doing?"  
"They're watching; they saw me enter the building. The music is for the laser microphone."  
"Are you really that paranoid?"  
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself. Peek between the blinds; third building to the left of the billboard, second floor from the top, seventh window from the right."  
Bogo walked over and split the blinds, staring out the window for a small period of time. Eventually, he stepped away.  
"Alright: who is 'they'?"  
"The Secret Service."  
Bogo rolled his eyes.  
"Why the hell is the Secret Service after you?"  
"Well, it's a long story."  
"I have two hours until I have to take roll. Speak."  
"You read over the arrest records, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Do you remember an arctic fox, arrested for public intoxication, around four days ago?"  
"Tundratown, yes. By two of your former squad, if I recall correctly."  
"Your memory serves you well. Do you remember what happened next?"  
"The Secret Service took custody of him shortly thereafter."  
"And do you know what happened to him?"  
"It's not my business to care what happens to a drunk."  
"He wasn't drunk."  
"Then what was he?"  
"Rabid."  
Bogo scoffed again.  
"Rabies was—"  
"Eradicated years ago; of course, Dr. Karahan, director of the Bureau of Disease Control, kept a few vials for research. Naturally, he also weaponized a strain."  
"Are you suggesting that it escaped?"  
"That is precisely what I am suggesting."  
"Alright, even if that were the case; the ZSS detained him. Why are they after you?"  
"Now, have you wondered why Neal didn't report in for work for the past three days?"  
"He called in… sick…" Bogo's expression shifted from furious to a softer visage.  
"And now he's dead. Well, not quite; if all's going well, he was resuscitated, and is currently in intensive care. Isn't that silly? One of your officers, and one of my squad mates, is on the brink of death, and it's not my fault. Naturally, as a consequence, I managed to, let's say, get on Jack Savage's bad side."  
"You pissed off the director of the ZSS? Why do I not believe you?"  
The wolf fished out a small object from his coat and threw it on the desk; Bogo picked it up and inspected it. A small badge, labeled 'Zootopian Secret Service' on the top, and 'Jack Savage' along with '#0361' on the bottom.  
"Believe what you want."  
"You stole his badge?"  
"He can't hold his liquor."  
"You… drank with him?"  
"He and I came to the following arrangement: as long as I stay in the city, he doesn't harm the six members of my squad."  
"You mean five?"  
"That's where you come in."  
"You know where Leora is?! Why haven't you said anything?! She's been missing for two months!"  
"I was preoccupied with other matters. She's in Sagarmatha. I can't get to her, seeing as the Secret Service is onto me. None of the five remaining in the city can leave, provided the ZSS can link them to me. However—"  
"Don't tell me you actually came up with a back-ass plan for all of this?"  
"I need you to talk to Felix."  
"Why him?"  
"He grew up in Sagarmatha. It wouldn't be unheard of for him to travel back to visit family. As long as the ZSS doesn't think I put him up to it, they won't get suspicious."  
"You want him to go alone? They'll trail him, for sure."  
"Well, not alone."  
"Who else?"  
"I know a couple others: Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps."  
Bogo laughed.  
"Now, what excuse do they have for going to Sagarmatha?"  
"If I'm not mistaken, based on his phone data, Nick was planning on proposing today. The East is a popular tourist and honeymooning spot; they could go under the guise that they are tourist lovebirds. They can even take the same plane as Felix, since the only connection they have is their profession. They don't know each other, and have never met. Well… that is, outside of the time I had Felix bust Nick out of jail, but I doubt the ZSS would have kept track of that for this long."  
"No one with half a brain would buy that."  
"Which is why it will work. The ZSS would expect a much more elaborate plan, especially from me; they also don't know that I'm affiliated with Nick."  
"You do realize that once they leave, they're alone, right?"  
"That's the part I'm most worried about. So, will you do it?"  
"I'll consider it."  
"You do want Leora back, don't you?"  
"How do you even know she's there?"  
"I know. In fact, Felix knows exactly where she is, considering he's the one that sent her into hiding there."  
"Hiding? Why would she need to go into hiding?"  
"She was being hunted by a group more powerful than the Secret Service."  
"And she didn't come to me?"  
"She and I both knew it wouldn't do any good. Do you ever wonder why the same fifty senators always end up in office? Why Lionheart always wins elections? Or perhaps why a rabid fox sneaks under your nose and you don't know the half of it? That's this group at work. They own the city, Bogo. To them, everything is a game; stocks, politics, corporations, segregation, _life_. The only way to win this game is to not play by their rules; hence, she fled. Even then, I lived as a slave to make sure they wouldn't chase her down and kill her."  
"And, dear ambassador, what's so special about you that they gave up their search once they had you?"  
"Maybe I'll tell you when keeping the secret no longer matters."  
"Hmph. I'll see to it that Shingis, Wilde, and Hopps get together."  
"No; don't let them meet until they get on the plane. Let them know what they need to do before hand, but I suspect the ZSS will be watching Felix the whole way through."  
"Very well. Don't think I'm doing this for you, by the way; I'm only concerned for Leora's wellbeing."  
"As am I." The wolf stood and headed for the door. "Oh, before I forget." He fished out a large wad of bills from his coat, and threw the on the desk. "That EMP may have destroyed a lot of equipment; this should cover the costs."  
He exited.

* * *

 **A/N: Screw it, I'm calling it 'The Arrangement'.**

 **Nick should come back next chapter. It's all set up now.**

 **I'd like to extend a big thanks to Gunbladeprimal for helping me with these past two chapters. You'll have to excuse some minor typos, since I typed it all as one block of text with ~15.5k words, and it's very hard to catch everything. Let me know about anything major, though; typing is hard when your hands shake harder than Michael J. Fox on Adderall and three cups of coffee.**

 **Also, if anything seems a little wonky, it's because I've been typing at 3 in the morning every day for the last two weeks because my brother and I had to share a room, and he doesn't have the sense of decency to go to bed at a reasonable time like a reasonable human being. I figured you guys would want something when I got done with my guests, so I just skipped out on sleep like any good college student knows how.**

 **I will acknowledge that the convenient plot kickoff at the beginning of last chapter is awfully convenient and comes out of nowhere, and me killing off the mysterious rabid researcher without any real explanation is infinitely convenient, but keep in mind that 1: shit happens in the real world, too, and 2: the plot has to progress somehow.** **I know I'm going to get at least one complaint about 'hey he only spent like, a chapter and a half in captivity!'. Yeah, I know, I'm sorry; I'm validating it with a two month timeskip, and the fact that he's still on a short leash.**

 **And here I go making long A/Ns again. What the hell is wrong with me? Oh well. While I'm at it: today, when I got up and checked my emails, I had a hard time reading the reviews. Not to disparage anyone, or make fun of anyone in particular, but if you decide to write one, if you could skip out on abbreviations and refrain from using the caps lock, that would make me a very happy camper.**

 **Edit: It has been brought to my attention that rabbits _can_ in fact contract rabies. I have fixed the passage, and I deeply apologize for the error.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #30: 'French' in french fries is referring to the way the potatoes are sliced, not the country of origin of the dish.**

 **Bonus fun fact: medical malpractice is a major contributor of the third leading cause of death in America. In 1999, ~98,000 people died in hospital related, preventable accidents caused by malpractice, whereas only 1,138 people died in all plane crashed across the world. You could crash 148 fully loaded high-density one-class configuration Boeing 747s, or 544 fully loaded Airbus a320s, and still come up short. That's almost one and a half airbuses a day crashing into the ground and killing everyone aboard, and you still don't quite reach the number of deaths from medical malpractice. There's no reason for all of those deaths; doctors are just overworked and don't get enough sleep. It's not like they don't have the equipment or medicine to treat illnesses, it's just that they accidentally stitch up a sponge inside of someone who later dies of infection, or they accidentally cut out the wrong kidney, etc.**

Haha now you're scared of flying and hospitals. Gotcha.  
Except when you look at the total number of hospital visits, and then compare the two, it's a ludicrously small number. Hospitals are very safe. Flying is safer.


	31. Chapter XXVII: One Plight Before Another

**Downtown Zootopia  
11 AM**

Nick was finishing his preparations: he had purposely called several of Judy's sisters into town so that they could 'conveniently stumble upon her' as she was fetching the morning coffee; when she had called him to ask if she could take the day to spend with them, he, of course, agreed. Now all that was left was to dress up nice, head to Central Park, and wait for her sisters to deliver her to him: he had the engagement ring, he had the flowers, he had endlessly practiced and recited his speech—he was as ready as he was ever going to be.

He buttoned up his shirt and tightened his tie, before inspecting himself in the mirror; he liked to imagine that every time he tied his tie right, his father would have been proud; today, especially, since he finally found himself a 'proper mate', as his father delicately put it. He opened the door and set out, flowers in hand and ring in pocket.

As he walked through the lobby, he greeted all of the familiar faces. Some had memorable names, and some didn't, but he still saw them on a regular basis: Ralph, then that one sheep three doors down, Katie, Millie, then the door greeter whose name he kept forgetting, Bogo, the—

He paused, and turned his head back again; his eyes didn't deceive him: it was Chief Bogo, sitting near the entrance of his apartment lobby, in his rare casual attire. But why?  
"Wilde—er, Nick, rather," the buffalo began.  
"Chief, why are you here? You never take days off, and it's not nearly time for you to take an early leave."  
"I decided to take a day off, on account of our SWAT team's string of highly successful heroin den busts these past three days. I have an enormous favor to ask of you."  
"I… I'm sorry Chief, but I'm really busy right now."  
"Heading to propose, I presume?"  
"Lucky guess."  
"I bet that law being revoked was godsend for you, among thousands of other couples in the city. Long overdue, if you ask me."  
"I get that, but why are you asking me a favor as a civilian, and not in uniform?"  
"Because this favor doesn't involve police work."  
"Well, I have maybe ten minutes until I actually have to set out; I'm listening."  
"This favor involves travel abroad. All expenses paid."  
"Like a vacation?"  
"Think of it as that; that will be your cover."  
"You're implying that I've already accepted."  
Bogo held his breath, closed his eyes, and rested his chin on his interlocked fists.  
"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous."  
"You're never nervous. What's wrong?"  
"Well, did you know the technician lieutenant who went missing two months back?"  
"Yeah; I mean, I remember hearing about it, but I didn't personally know her."  
"Well, I believe I know where she is: Sagarmatha."  
"In the Orient? Wait, wait, wait… You want me to travel there, to find her?"  
"I already have someone else that, _should you accept_ , knows exactly where to look and will go with you. However, I don't want to risk sending him alone, seeing as the Secret Service has him on a list."  
"Why are you coming to me? This reeks of 'suspicious'."  
"You were someone else's first choice, for less than obvious reasons. So, seeing as you're in a hurry, I'll ask you this: can you do this for me?"  
"That's a lot to ask, Chief. I…" he trailed off, and looked away.  
"Think of it as a prenuptial honeymoon: you can travel there, see the sights, and when you're done, check on her and take her home. She should, at least according to Shingis, be fed, housed, and safe."  
" _All_ expenses paid?" Nick asked, after a long pause.  
"All."  
"I'll have to ask Judy. I can't make a decision that involves her, especially one of this magnitude, without her."  
"Just let me know soon. Oh, and I would appreciate if you didn't mention this to anyone else. I can't be certain who's listening in. Just come straight to me when you decide, either way. If you can't do it, I need to find someone else before the plane is scheduled to leave."  
"Will do, Chief."

Nick gave a half-hearted salute, and proceeded through the double doors. The park was a short walk away, and he found that he was right to pick it as the spot to propose; the gentle reflection of the morning sun off of the thin blanket of snow was a sight to behold. However, as the fresh snow crunched beneath his paw, as he approached the bench in front of the fountain, he felt his heart begin to race. What if she rejected him? He tried to dispel the thoughts; after all, they had been living together for over a year, and he was sure she loved him the way he loved her. However, there was always the spark of doubt lingering in his heart, waiting to catch ablaze into a roaring fire if she replied in the contrary.

He brushed the snow from the bench and sat down, placing the flowers gently next to him, and holding the ring in his paw; if she said yes, he wouldn't dare place a cold piece of metal upon her finger. As he stared at the waterless fountain, his mind began to drift into thoughts of their wedding: he pondered whether it would be simple and small, or elegant and large, or anything in between. In addition, there was the problem of wedding festivities: most activities suitable or traditional for newlywed foxes would be inappropriate, or dangerous even, should they be attempted by a rabbit. He settled on improvisation; after all, he reasoned that it was what they have been doing for the past nearly two and a half years, and it was what they did best.

Nick's daydreams were interrupted when someone called his name.  
"Nick, what are you doing here?"  
He opened his eyes and saw Judy standing with several other rabbits.  
"Huh?" Nick responded dumbly, caught off-guard by her sudden appearance.  
"Fancy that," Judy spoke to her siblings. "First Retta at the cafe, and now Nick in the park. Small world, huh?"  
"Hey Judy, there's something I want to ask you," Nick began.  
"What's that?"  
Nick stood, picked her up and sat her where he was sitting, before taking the flowers in his paws and falling to one knee.

After a brief silence, he began.  
"Judy, before I met you, I never knew what it was like to be able to see someone and smile just because you were happy to see them; before I met you, I was a wretched, lonely fox who had to live day-to-day hustling mammals for petty cash. When I met you, I finally understood what had been missing in my life; I had finally found the piece of my soul that I never knew I needed, but was never complete without. When I met you, you changed me to be an honest, respectable member of society, who could stand by your side as an equal, regardless of the fact that I was a fox and that you were a rabbit; you stood up for me, and stood up to anyone who dared stand against us. Ten years from now, I want to be able to tell everyone about our adventures together: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else, nor do I want to. Judy Hopps, will you marry me?" He offered forth the flowers and ring from his palm.  
She began to tear up, and smiled very wide.  
"Yes, yes I will!" she replied, offering her paw; Nick slid the ring onto her finger, and barely managed to steady himself before she leaped from the bench to embrace him, nearly knocking him over. Her sisters began to cheer congratulations.

After several minutes of holding the hug, Nick pulled away just enough to look in her eyes.  
"Judy, there's also something private I need to talk to you about. I hate to ruin this moment, but Bogo was waiting for me in the lobby on my way here. He wants us to do him a very large favor."  
"Bogo? In the lobby?"  
"In jeans and a tee."  
Judy turned to her sisters.  
"Could you excuse us, please?" she asked of them. They turned, giggling, and left. "So, Nick, what did he ask?"  
"He wants us to go save someone halfway around the world."  
"Who? Where?"  
"The missing police lieutenant, in Sagarmatha; he insists it'll be like a vacation, all expenses paid."  
"All expenses paid? Let's go!"  
"Wait, are you serious?"  
"What, you don't want to? We're still young, there's nothing tying us down yet; let's go see some adventure! Besides, we're cops, it's our job to help, especially a fellow cop."  
"I…" he trailed off. "What about the wedding? Don't we need to plan?"  
"Come on, we both know that you were planning on winging it anyways. If you really want to, we can plan it on the trip."  
Nick sighed.  
"Oh, lighten up! What about that speech you just made about telling everyone of our adventures together? Even if it doesn't go well, it's still a story, right?"  
"I guess. I'll go tell Bogo that we're going."  
"I'll go with you!"

* * *

 **Sahara Square  
Two Hours Later**

Nick knocked on the door to Bogo's home; he had received the address from Clawhauser several months along with an invitation to a private party, but never found a use for it until now: an unfortunate illness had robbed him of the ability to attend, and he was strangely thankful, as it meant he wouldn't have to face Bogo in a non-formal setting.

The door opened to reveal Bogo's menacing figure.  
"Oh, it's only you two." His eyes quickly darted to Judy's paw, and a smile crept across his face. "Congratulations, I might add."  
"Thanks Chief," Nick replied. "So, we came to a decision."  
"Not here, come inside," Bogo quickly spoke, ushering them in. As soon as he closed the door behind them, he asked, "What have you decided?"  
"We're going."  
"Excellent. Here, give me a minute."  
The buffalo left from their sight, before returning momentarily with a small bag.  
"What's in the bag?"  
"Plane tickets, hotel booking, and Sagamarthan currency. I've already had you approved for travel."  
"Wow, really? You work fast, Chief." He paused to think for a moment. "Wait, you already had us approved? So you expected us to say yes? What if we didn't?"  
"Let's not think about that; also, to be fair, it wasn't hard. We're on good terms with them; they give out travel visas to practically any Zootopian citizen. Now, I need you to listen closely: the plane leaves in five days, so you have time to get ready. You'll be there for two weeks, and your hotel information is listed on the papers in here." He gave them the pouch. "Your job is to find Lieutenant Technician Leora; you'll be on the same plane as Officer Felix Shingis, but I wouldn't contact him until you've landed there. Their photos are also in the bag. Approach Shingis as ignorant tourists, he'll be expecting you two to meet him. He knows where she is, so all you have to do is follow him and find her; he can take care of the rest, including securing her travel back. After that, you can spend the rest of the two weeks as you wish. I hear the rock gardens are particularly lovely."  
"Rock gardens?"  
"Do you understand your instructions?"  
"Yeah, I got it. But seriously, how do you cultivate rocks?"  
"Nick, a rock garden is just decoratively arranged rocks; they don't grow them," Judy explained slowly.  
"Oh."  
"Glad we have that cleared up," Bogo spoke. "Now, I suggest you go get packed. I should also probably mention that the Secret Service might be watching Shingis, so if they keep an eye on you while you're with him, don't act out of the ordinary."  
"Dare I ask why?" Judy asked.  
"Nothing illegal. He is guilty by association, so to speak."  
"With whom?"  
"The ambassador, of course."  
"Didn't he leave?"  
"Judy, he can't—" Nick began, before pausing. She wasn't present for their discussion; she didn't know the truth about the ambassador. She probably assumed, like everyone else, that he was an eccentric wolf.  
"Can't what?"  
"Never mind, I just remembered that I was mistaken."  
"Alright; thanks for the tickets, Chief!" Judy mentioned cheerfully.  
"Just make sure to find her," he replied, before opening the door for them to exit.  
"Yeah, it'll make a hell of a story at the precinct," Nick remarked, before leaving with Judy. "Who knows, maybe you'll give us a gold medal."  
"Watch yourself, Wilde," Bogo muttered impatiently.  
Nick gave him two thumbs up before he got out of sight.

"Wow, you really love making him mad, don't you?" Judy asked, giving a sly smile.  
"It's fun because it works."  
"Hey, he really looked desperate. The least you could have done is acted like you cared."  
"But I do care!"  
"Sure you do," she stated mockingly, patting him on the back. "But that's besides the point. We have five days, and we only really need one to pack. What do you want to do when we get back?"  
He gave a very toothy grin.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
Afternoon**

Kai sat alone in his room when he heard a knock on the door.  
"Enter."  
Sirius came through the door; behind him, standing in the hall, was Arcturus.  
"You are not to come to tonight's meeting," the grizzly commanded.  
"Why not?"  
"Sensitive topics that we don't want you to be included on."  
"Where's the rabbit?"  
"Away on a field mission."  
"I thought he was done with field work."  
"It's a job only he can do."  
"Oh well, I'm sure Sirius will give me the censored version of tonight's meeting."  
"He's to stay here with you. You're both not allowed."  
"Oh?"  
"Altair asked that it be this way."  
"If I'm going to miss the meeting, can I at least make a run out of the city?"  
"What for?" Arcturus asked, raising a brow.  
"Sirius needs new meds."  
He pondered for a very long time.  
"It will only take two hours," the human added.  
"Take Sirius with you. I don't want you snooping around," Arcturus spoke.  
"He'll slow me down."  
"I don't really care, to be honest. As long as you come back before Altair does, it doesn't make a difference to me." He turned to leave.  
"Arcturus?"  
"Hmm?" The grizzly turned to face him.  
"Since this is the first time I've seen you after your son died, I wanted to apologize."  
"You're not sorry that you killed him," he growled.  
"No, you're right in that respect; however, I'm sorry that you had to lose your son."  
"What?"  
"He was a bad person, and I had to kill him. However, you've suffered far more than anyone should ever have to. No father should ever outlive his son."  
"He was a mammal, not a person. Perhaps I've failed as a father; what he did was horrible, and I'm ashamed of it. However, what you did was inexcusable. God forbid there ever be more than one monster like you on this planet. _People_." He spat the last word, shook his head, and left.

"Well, that was awkward," Sirius stated. "Anyways, is this the part where you show me your secret lair?"  
"Yes, Sirius," the man answered, sighing. "This is the part where we visit my 'secret lair'."  
"Nice, I've been looking forward to seeing what human architecture looked like."  
"Looked like? Sirius, you're going to be blindfolded until we're inside, but at that point, it's practically pitch black except for several storage rooms and some stairs."  
The wolf's ears drooped noticeably.  
"So… I won't get to see anything?"  
"I can't risk you seeing where I make my residence. I'll also need you to leave your phones here."  
Sirius began to whimper.  
"Stop that. You know I hate it when you make that noise."  
Sirius continued whimpering.  
"If you stop I'll give consider allowing you to try human food."  
Instantly his ears perked up and he stopped making noise; he reached into his pockets and surrendered his phones.  
"Alright, I'm ready to go when you are."  
Kai reached into one of the drawers and withdrew a handkerchief, fastening it around Sirius' head, tying a very tight knot at the back.  
"What's your mile time, Sirius?"  
"Wait, we're walking? Are you serious?"  
"No, you're Sirius."  
He tried pulling off the blindfold, but was unable to.  
"Get this thing off. At least let me call for a car."  
"It's not coming off until I want it to, and we're going alone. No drivers."  
"You want me to trust _you_ to drive? That's rich."  
"I could carry you over my shoulders as we walk across the grassy fields."  
"No thanks, I don't swing that way." Sirius reached out, feeling blindly for one of his phones, before grabbing it and making several attempts to dial a number; after a couple of misdials, he finally got the correct number and asked for a car to be delivered at the base of the hill.  
"Alright, lead me out, faithful servant!"  
The man put on his coat and mask, before picking up the wolf and slinging him over his shoulders, ignoring his protests.  
"I don't have time to lead a blind wolf across an entire building."

As they approached the car, the chauffeur leaning against it bore a panicked expression.  
"What—what are you doing with Senator Cynewulf?!"  
"It's okay Leo, I'm fine," Sirius stated. "We're just going on a trip. I'm going to need you to stay here for a little while, since we have to go alone."  
"You're… not being kidnapped?"  
"No."  
The lion tried to breath a sigh of relief, but still wore a look of confusion. Kai tossed Sirius haphazardly into the back, and himself sat into the driver's seat.

* * *

After the car had stopped, Kai had dragged Sirius from the back seat and, once again, slung him over his shoulders.  
"Are you ever going to let me walk?"  
"No. That takes time; I'm not saying that I don't have any, I just don't particularly care for your comfort over my time at this present moment."  
They proceeded up the shallow cliff-face, and eventually came to the bunker's entrance. The man gently threw the wolf to the ground whereupon he landed with a dull thud, and threw the door open.  
"First of all, fucking ow. Second, that door sounds like it weighs a ton."  
"Around fifty, but it's on high glide bearings, so it only takes about a thousand pounds force to open it."  
"And you can do that?!"  
"It's not hard. I'm sure you could do it if you put your back into it."  
"If any old mammal could do it, how secure could it possibly be?"  
"Electromagnetic sealing turns it into unopenable dead weight. It's only easy to open since it's unlocked."  
"Could you open it if it was locked?"  
Kai merely laughed at the notion. He picked Sirius up to his feet and guided him into the vault, before closing the door.

After removing the blindfold, Sirius opened his eyes.  
"It's… dark."  
"What did you expect? I warned you that most of the lights burned out. You're pretty lucky since this room has several working bulbs."  
"How do you see, then?"  
"I don't need light to see."  
"What are you? A bat?"  
"Whatever floats your boat."  
"Where's the food?"  
"Jesus, Sirius, do you think with your stomach?"  
"I haven't eaten in maybe seven hours."  
Kai went over and fished a wrapped bar out of a small crate by one of the consoles, before throwing it to the wolf. Sirius eagerly unwrapped it and sniffed at it.  
"What is this?"  
"Ration bar."  
"Smells… weird."  
"You'll hate the taste, then."  
He took a bite, and made a satisfactory 'hmm'.  
"Not bad."  
"Really? I can't stand them. They make me desire the real thing."  
"Real thing?"  
"They're supposed to taste like chocolate."  
Sirius instantly spit onto the floor and began gagging.  
"Are you trying to kill me?!"  
"Relax, it won't kill you. About twenty percent of people were allergic to theobromine by the end of the twenty-second century, so they processed cocoa to remove it."  
"And you're sure?"  
"Yes."  
"In that case…" He took another bite. "It's pretty decent. So, where are the living quarters?"  
"First, let me pose a question: how far can a wolf fall without injuring himself?"  
"Twenty feet, give or take."  
"Give or take how many miles?"  
"Give or take _five feet_."  
"Oh dear; looks like you'll just have to wait up here."  
"What, no elevator?"  
"There is, but if it gets stuck, I don't feel like getting you out."  
"What, I don't mean anything to you?"  
"No, it will take too long; Altair might get back and decide to kill some mammals."  
"So why did you ask that question?"  
"Do you feel like going down six miles of stairs?"  
"Six miles?"  
"I thought not. I don't feel like it, either, so I'll take the fast way down." He took a running start and leaped over the railing.  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Sirius shouted, running after him but stopping short at the railing.  
"I'll be back in a while!" Kai shouted back, his voice echoing up the shaft before trailing into emptiness.

As the man landed, he began his leisurely stroll through the halls. His first stop was picking up the bottle of pills, neatly constructed, from the fabricator. He grabbed a satchel from the armory wall and threw the bottle inside. Next, he went to the massive library; if he was going to be forced to bide his time, he might as well have something to do. After picking out several of his personal favorites and neatly stowing them in the satchel, he sat in a chair at one of the tables. This could feasibly the last time he would be allowed here in several years; he had some weaponry with him, but he needed to prepare for the long run. In the end, he decided that he could bring several darts and something easily concealable, but no other weaponry; anything else would be suspicious. He settled for several varieties of darts and explosives, as well as a second handgun, before exiting the armory.

He nearly began his trek up the stairs before he remembered that he had promised his companion human food. He turned and quickly strolled to the food stores. As he walked through the massive aisleways and stared at the large packages of food meant for a hundred score men to last a thousand lifetimes, he pondered what to bring. Nearly everything was vacuum sealed and freeze-packed away, made safe to eat for nearly all of time. Ironically, this meant that most of it would be inedible without special heating and rehydrating. However, some of the less perishable foods were only irradiated and stored, meaning that it was good to open and eat: highly salted foods like condiments and jerky, as well as hardtack biscuits among them. He opted to take packages of these foods, as well as a single package of Bratwurst, which prior to storing in his satchel, he reheated in one of the machines in the room.

Finally ready to return, he began up the stairs, quickly reaching the top.  
"What took you so long?!" Sirius yelled. "It's creepy up here; all the pipes leak, and everything moans and groans like it's haunted."  
"Scared?"  
"No, of course not!"  
"Your tail's in between your legs."  
Sirius looked down.  
"Hey, it's not!"  
"Made you look. I brought food." He retrieved the heated package from his bag and gave it to the wolf. He eagerly tore into it, before pausing once he saw what was inside.  
"What the hell is this?"  
"National street food of Germany."  
"What's in it?" He retrieved a plastic fork and knife from the packaging and began prodding at it.  
"I'd recommend you try it, first."  
"Sounds suspicious."  
"Be lucky I didn't bring haggis."  
Sirius leaned in and sniffed warily.  
"At least it smells good."  
"I'm telling you, try it."  
He cut a small piece and put it in his mouth, carefully chewing it. Satisfied, he gave a small nod of appreciation and swallowed.  
"Not bad." He tried to hand it back.  
"You can finish it."  
"That's what I was waiting to hear," he replied, grinning, before eagerly devouring the rest of the sausages. Once he was done, Kai took the empty package and discarded it into a waste bin. "What else did you get for me?"  
The man opened the package of jerky and offered a piece to the wolf, who snapped it up.  
"Gluttony is a sin, Sirius."  
After eating several more pieces, Sirius finally looked up.  
"So, is this the mysterious wild dodo bird that Achernar never shuts up about?"  
Kai laughed.  
"You really like this stuff, right?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"It's beef."  
Sirius' smile slowly faded into a blank expression.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Beef."  
"As in… cow?"  
"Yup."  
The wolf's eyes darted from left to right, before finally coming back to look at Kai.  
"You won't tell anyone, right?"  
"Of course not; I don't particularly care, and I'm hinging on your reputation, since the Court ruined mine."  
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Good. Out of curiosity, what was in that street food?"  
"Pork and veal."  
"Eh, I've done more questionable things in politics. So, do you have any more of that strip stuff?"  
"Knowing what it is, you would still eat more?"  
"Hey, it's really damn good. Besides, I don't care; it's not like you killed a cow for that, they were grown in farms specifically for the express purpose of being food, right?"  
"That is correct."  
"Good. Give me another couple of bags."  
"Nah, I'm saving these other bags for myself."  
"What?" He gave a look of dejection.  
"Sorry, bud," Kai answered, throwing a piece into his mouth.  
Sirius closed his eyes, deep in thought. After several minutes of deliberation, and painfully listening to the man eating the jerky next to him, he opened them.  
"Alright, I have an offer for you," the wolf spoke.  
"Oh?" Sirius watched with envy as the man ate another piece.  
"I'll… I'll…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll be your… dog… if you give me more."  
Kai began to laugh; at first, it was a light chuckle, but it quickly grew into a hearty guffaw.  
"You really do think with your stomach, don't you?"  
"Hey, I was already considering it earlier."  
"Oh great, you're also a pleasure fiend."  
"Hey, I know you want a dog as much as I want that…"  
"Beef jerky?"  
"That's what it's called? Gross, but yes, that."  
"Hmm… alright."  
"Wait, you'll do it?"  
"Sure, but you have to act exactly like I command."  
"I'm not a slave."  
"No, but dogs are obedient."  
Sirius rolled his eyes.  
"Fine."  
"Oh, and one more thing."  
"What now?"  
"Do you have a collar, or should I get one?"

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is late and probably poorly written because my life is pretty close to first-world shambles right now. I'm starting an internship at a cancer treatment facility, so I have to do hours and hours of ethics training that teaches me how not to turn into the Nazi doctors from the Nuremberg Trials. Then, I spent the remaining time either in traffic, since the place is a two hour and then some round trip away, or cleaning up from the guests. After the cleanup was done, I finally managed to put in a call to my neurologist, who gave me good news and bad news: the good news is that he thinks he knows why my hands are shaking; the bad news is that it's probably my migraine medication which has the very rare side effect of blowing out peripheral nerves, so I have to stop taking that until I see him in late September. Basically, I've been running a bitch of a headache for the last three days, and my hands probably won't stop shaking any less than they are now. Isn't life great? On top of that, I feel like I'm maybe two weeks from total organ failure, but that's a story for another time.**

 **Anyways, complaints aside, this chapter is the first time I've mentioned Nick in... what, ten chapters? Eleven? If you count only his POV, it's probably closer to fifteen. I wanted to start light and make sure I didn't fuck it up. On top of that, there's still a bit of setup and timeskip that needs to happen before it shifts more to him. Although it might not have good build-up, the actual proposal is pretty good, if I do say so myself; if I write that second fic and end up needing one, you'd better believe I'm gonna call upon the powers of Captain Copy-Paste.**

 **Also the Sirius gag is only done to death because I think it's mildly amusing. You guys will probably hate me for it. The chapter title is a joke on 'plight', the archaic verb 'to marry', and 'plight', the noun for a difficult situation. I like to think I'm really witty when it's almost three in the morning.**

 **Lastly, try not to eat me alive; I know this chapter isn't my best, not even close, but I'll try to make up for it with the next chapter. If you have suggestions, leave a review or PM me; I enjoy casual conversations, and I don't have much opportunity for them anymore.**

 **Edit: Somehow managed to misspell prenuptial.**

* * *

 **The Fun Facts for the next few chapters are probably going to be ripped straight from my inbox, since I don't have the energy to come up with anything original right now. That, and someone already sent me a few.**

 **Fun Fact #31: You are more likely to be killed by a vending machine than a shark.**

 **Bonus Fun Fact: A group of crows is called a murder.**


	32. Chapter XXVIII: In a Foreign Land

**Lionheart International Airport  
Zootopia**

 **Five Days Later  
7 AM**

Nick and Judy were sitting at their gate for over two hours; their flight had been delayed twice due to inclement weather, and they were beginning to get impatient. As they sat drearily, the intercom once again buzzed to life.  
"We apologize for any inconvenience that the delay may have caused, but flight DE 0121 with service to Hessia will be boarding shortly."  
A collective sigh of relief sounded through the air. As the flight attendants began calling out rows for boarding, Judy turned to Nick.  
"So, are you nervous?"  
"Well, yeah. You?"  
"I think it's a given. We're going across the world for the first time, and even though I hear good things about the port, I can't help but feel it's going to be at least a little shady."  
Nick snorted.  
"We're cops, we're trained to deal with 'shady'."  
"Yeah, but Zootopian shady is a weasel with a knife selling bootleg movies. Sagarmatha shady is probably a couple mountain lions with a gun looking for a 'fun time'. You have to keep in mind that they haven't outlawed guns, Nick."  
"Did you bring your fox taser in your checked luggage?" Nick quipped. She punched him on the arm, before standing to board as their row was called. As they stood in line, he put his paw on her shoulder.  
"Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen. I promise."  
"You should look out for yourself, you're the one liable to do something stupid."  
"Hey, when have I ever done something stupid?"  
"I'm pretty sure spraying yourself in the face with a can of fox repellent to see if it actually repelled foxes counts as stupid, Nick."  
His face went blank; he had almost forgotten about that. Or rather, he had tried very hard to forget about that. He figured she wouldn't live it down.

As they took their seats, they immediately sprawled out. The flight was supposed to be roughly fifteen hours including two stops, enough to drive any sane mammal mad unless they had something to do other than stare at the clouds; luckily, they were already deprived on sleep from work and other miscellany; when they woke up, the books they brought would keep them at least mildly entertained. As they were getting ready to doze off, a large snow leopard sat next to them.  
"I hope you don't mind I sit here, the wolf who was here asked me to swap so he could sit with his pups," he spoke.  
"Not at all," Nick answered, being the closer of the two seated to him. "Say, is this your first time going over?"  
"No, I grew up there; going back to visit family, see what's changed, the works."  
"Name's Nick; this is my fiancee, Judy. We wanted to go see some of the world before we got too old and had to settle down."  
"Felix," the cat answered, extending a paw. "I could show you around, if you don't have any plans."  
"Sure, sounds like a deal," Nick replied, shaking paws. He was secretly relieved, since he didn't have to do any searching once they arrived; Felix came to him. He sneaked a peek behind his seat; he couldn't be sure who was watching, so he decided to continue playing it safe.  
"Out of curiosity, where are you two staying?"  
"The Grand Sagarmathan Hotel."  
Felix chuckled.  
"It's very lavish, but also very far from anything worth seeing. If you're up to it, there's a monastery at Mahalangur; they take guests for free, and the views are absolutely fantastic."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, but it's roughly five hundred some miles from the port. I'd say it's for sure worth checking out, and I'm heading there anyways, since it's where I studied as a kitten. If you're planning on going, I'd spend the night at the port, and head out just before dawn."  
"What do you think, Carrots?" Nick asked of his partner. She gave a sly smile.  
"You think I'm one to shy away from adventure? I'm game."  
"Alright then, I'll let you two spend the night in the port, and I guess we can meet up tomorrow?" Felix posed.  
"Sure," Nick answered.  
"Now, I suppose I should let you know that I hate flying."  
"Why?"  
"I tend to… well, if there's a problem, I'll let you know." He gave an evil laugh.  
"You'd better be joking."  
A subtle grin was the last thing the cat gave, before turning away and leaning back.

* * *

"This is your captain speaking, we are beginning our final descent into Sagarmatha Port. The local time is five fifteen in the afternoon. The weather is currently sixteen degrees, somewhat cloudy. If you are boarding another flight, make sure to claim your luggage before passing through customs, as it will not automatically be transferred."  
Nick's ears perked up; he leaned over and gently shook Judy until she awoke.  
"Carrots, plane's landing."  
"Finally."  
He chuckled slightly, before massaging his neck. They had already passed through customs twice with no problems, and had filled out the forms for the Port Authority; in theory, he thought it would be a straight shot. In practice, they didn't know the language or culture; it would probably be much harder than flashing a passport and walking through. The delay they experienced in Hessia attested to that.

Soon, they began exiting the plane; they stuck close together, and Felix crept just behind them. As they took their baggage and got in line for customs, he leaned in and began giving them advice.  
"When you get through, wait for me."  
"We don't know the area, do you really think we'd leave without you?"

The line got closer and closer, and they finally managed to get to a counter. The large Bengal tiger sitting at the computer spoke something unintelligible to them.  
"I'm sorry?" Nick asked.  
"Passports."  
Judy gave her passport to Nick, and he had to jump to reach the counter. The tiger casually flipped through, before placing several stamps in the books and typing several numbers into the computer.  
"Enjoy your stay." He gave the passports back and waved them along.

As soon as they reached the other side, Nick gave a sigh of relief and waited with Judy near the side wall for Felix to pass through.  
"What did he say the first time?" Judy asked.  
"Yeah, I had no idea what he said. I'm just lucky we have a native Sagarmathan giving us the lowdown."  
"Yeah; so, where is the hotel? We should probably—"  
She was interrupted when a uniformed rhinoceros began shouting unintelligibly at them, and pointing further. Nick waved his paw and tried to resume his conversation with his partner. The mammal approached them to yell from a closer distance, and it was then that Nick realized how menacingly tall the rhino stood over him.  
"I'm sorry, I don't—"  
He was interrupted by more yelling. Suddenly, he heard a second source of shouting from behind him; it was Felix, come to save the day. After a heated shouting match, the rhino finally gave up and walked away. Felix shook his head.  
"Assholes, all of them," he mumbled. "Come on, let's get out of here."  
"Where to?"  
"Well, it's a little late to head to Mahalangur, so probably to your hotel."  
"Where is it?"  
"Three or four blocks down."  
"Wait, we're _in_ the city?"  
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe it: the landing strip we used actually doubles as a road. They have to close it off like a railway crossing when a plane is landing."  
"What the hell?"  
"Yeah. Let's get a taxi."  
"A taxi? But I thought you said it was a few blocks?"  
"I… wouldn't recommend walking."  
"Why not?"  
"Well, this isn't Zootopia. The police don't care, and those that do get gunned down by the gangs. If you want to get the rabbit assaulted and yourself killed, be my guest. I'm not walking anywhere until I get my gun."  
"Hey, don't!—… gun?" Nick began furiously, before pausing to process the statement.  
"Of course; if you live here and don't have one, you're a fool."  
"How do you have a gun, of all mammals?"  
"I don't; not yet, anyways. But, such things are no more than twenty minutes away, even from the airport."  
"What about background checks?" Judy asked.  
"What about them?"  
They donned looks of shock.  
"Welcome to Sagarmatha, where law is lawless. Don't worry, the port is a shithole, but as soon as you get out, it instantly gets safer than rural Zootopia."  
"How is that possible?"  
"Where are you from?"  
"Bunnyburrow."  
"Population?"  
"Around eighty-three million."  
"Yeah, I figured. See: here, the rural villages have maybe fifty mammals, tops. Everyone knows each other. If someone commits a crime, the village elder could mete out justice."  
"Justice, such as…" Nick prompted.  
"Stealing is a paw, mayhem is a leg, maiming is an eye, murder is death."  
"That's barbaric!" Judy spouted.  
"Well, it's actually not as bad as you think. It rarely escalates to violence. They almost always call upon the monks from a nearby monastery to settle the issue, usually by peace, sometimes by force." He chuckled. "I always enjoyed watching them settle by force."  
"I thought monks were peaceful by definition."  
"Well, anywhere else, maybe. However, here, we have warrior monks. They live and breathe fighting and, ironically, actively strive to never resort to it."  
"This is a backwards-ass country," Nick muttered.  
"Yeah, but hey, Sagarmatha isn't as industrialized as Zootopia. Some mammals out here have never seen electricity or running water. This port is an example of what happens when mammals who aren't ready to modernize are forced to."  
"How do they live?"  
"How did we live a long time ago? Well, ignoring the ambassador's fables, at any rate. They do things the hard way, same as they've always done it."  
A bell chimed throughout the airport interrupting their conversation, before the loudspeaker rang in the foreign tongue.  
"Huh, six already? We should get going," Felix idly spoke, before motioning for them to follow.  
They began to walk through the terminal towards the exit, and as they walked, Judy pelted Felix with several questions about the land.  
"Where are you staying?" she eventually asked, as they neared the exit.  
"My family lives just North of the port."  
"Actually, if you aren't opposed to it, you could stay with us for the night. Our room has two beds, and we only really need one."  
"… Sure," Nick added, after noticing the menacing glare that Judy was giving. "You can stay with us."  
"Yeah, I'm sure a local's perspective would help us out a lot."  
"I'm not actually from the port, but I'll accept your offer if it's still good," Felix answered.

They walked quickly and quietly, ignoring the obnoxious travel agents stationed throughout the halls of the terminal; as they exited, there was a large red sign written in strange characters near the road.  
"Fuck, looks like we're walking," Felix growled, clearly irritated.  
"Why?"  
"That sign says 'Taxi service to the airport has been suspended'. Doesn't say why."  
"That's dumb, they're just losing out on money."  
"Yeah, but if you think about it, the taxi companies can just refuse to come here, hire thugs to mug everyone that passes by, and collect a percentage. It's much higher than they'd make just providing fair service, especially if the gangs terrorize them."  
"But what about free market? Why doesn't another taxi company just come in and rake in the free, full flow of the customers?"  
"Murder is only slightly more illegal than jaywalking in Sagarmatha Port. That, and the officials would probably never provision a taxi license to honest mammals. My money says they're all in on this."  
"What proof do you have?"  
"I've spent a year here."  
"How many years ago?"  
"Do you really think the world's changed, especially if there's money to be made in misery?"  
They didn't respond.  
"Stay close. Whatever you do, don't look anyone in the eyes, don't speak to anyone, and don't look weak."  
"What if they talk first?"  
"I'll deal with that."

They began walking at a very fast pace; Nick and Judy could hardly keep up with the snow leopard before them. They managed to make it two blocks before a tiger kitten leaped from an alley, latched onto Felix's leg, and cried out.  
"I no let go until you give money!"  
Felix quickly punched him in the head, and threw him several feet away; the kitten stood, gave an obscene gesture, and scurried back into the alley.  
"What did you do that for?!"  
"I was afraid it was the old distract-and-mug routine; thankfully I was wrong. It's the only reliable way to deal with these ruffians. Besides, he's used to it."  
They quickly reached the hotel lobby, which was surrounded on each side by an enormous number of armed guards.  
"Huh, perhaps I gave the gangs too much credit. Maybe the taxi service was actually suspended for maintenance," Felix casually stated.  
"Why do mammals live here?" Nick asked.  
"Nick!" Judy scolded.  
"This is the only real room for improvement from farming in the region," Felix shrugged, not taking offense. "If you want to be a businessmammal, or a stockbroker, this is the only place you can do that. Of course, you have to learn to live with the drawbacks."  
"Wow, getting that exit visa must have been a lifesaver."  
"Heh heh heh…" He looked away as they checked in.

After they received their room key, they took the elevator up. They walked past several doors, until they reached their number; Nick reached up as high as he could, standing on the tips of his paws, and could barely insert the key into the lock; a quick turn, and the door opened. The inside of the room was enormous; the living space could hardly be called a room, so much as an apartment. Each bed was in a separate room, there were two baths complete with sauna and hot tub, a kitchen stocked full with various luxuries, and a view of the harbor.  
"I'm reluctant to think what Bogo spent on this room," Judy muttered.  
"Don't worry about it," Felix responded, chuckling. "A three-star hotel in Downtown Zootopia costs more."  
"How is that possible?"  
"You don't run the risk of getting stabbed by taking more than three steps outside of the hotel."  
"Ah, noted."  
"Besides, the average wage in the port is much lower than the average wage in Zootopia."  
"By how much?"  
"About a hundred times less. You could spend ten hours in a sweatshop making dolls or chains or toys, and get maybe two dollars for your efforts. That's what about a third of all workers in this city do."  
"Other places don't actually _buy_ these goods, do they?"  
"Have you ever bought anything that didn't have a big sticker on the bottom that said 'Made in Zootopia'?"  
Judy's expression became solemn.  
"Yeah, this is where most of it comes from," he finished.  
"I don't like this place already," Nick jested. "Carrots, I thought you said this place had a great reputation. What good things did you hear?"  
"As soon as you get out of the city and into the countryside, it becomes much more tolerable," Felix answered for her.  
"I really hope you're right." Nick checked the majestic grandfather clock by the television. "Alright, it's about seven. What do you all wanna do?"  
"Actually, I was hoping to get some sleep; I want to set out before dawn tomorrow," Felix stated.  
"Why's that?"  
"Well, five hundred miles, traveling at maybe forty an hour average, is… twelve and a half hours? I want to get there before they close the outer gate at 9 in the evening."  
"We could easily make that."  
"Yeah, but we need to account for the…" He snapped several times, eyes closed, deep in thought. "Roadside bandits."  
"Are you fucking serious?"  
Felix laughed.  
"I forgot what they were called for a moment; the literal translation from Sagarmathan is 'roadside bandit'. It's more of a… toll booth?"  
"You've lived in Zootopia for how many years now? How could you forget 'toll booth'?"  
"Well, just being back here, getting into the flow of things, and speaking the language for the first time in at least eight years really takes me back. And now that I think about it more, it's less of a simple toll booth, and more of a 'toll, get papers checked, and vehicle searched' thing."  
"So… a checkpoint?"  
"Yes, that's the word!"  
"And they call it a 'roadside bandit', why?"  
"It's not slang, it's the actual word, but I imagine it stems from the officers tending to steal your things when they search your car. Make sure to keep your belongings close."  
"You know, I wish Bogo gave us a little more information _**before**_ he sent us out here."  
"You'll get used to it."  
"So, which room do you want?" Judy asked.  
"How about you two get settled in, and I'll take the room that you haven't."  
"What are you gonna do in the meantime? It could take a while."  
Felix walked towards the room's balcony, before unlocking the door.  
"I have to make a quick phone call, for travel arrangements."  
Nick and Judy each gave a nod of approval, before heading to inspect the rooms. The first room was satisfactory, and they began to unpack just enough for the night. Several minutes later, Felix returned, stopping in the door frame.  
"Alright, I've got us a ride there, with the stipulation that we stop at my family's home for around half an hour."  
"Are they the ones giving the ride?" Nick asked.  
"Yeah, and they wanted to meet you two and see me."  
"Why would they want to meet us?"  
"They've never seen a red fox or a rabbit before. It doesn't seem like much now, but as we start traveling, it'll all make sense."  
Nick and Judy both stifled a laugh.  
"So… are we the exotic couple in this neck of the woods?" Judy inquired amusedly.  
"Yes. Oh, you just reminded me; speaking of couple: I would refrain from mentioning your engagement to them. They're a bit crotchety and senile, and they don't entirely agree with interspecies relationships."  
"I mean… they're not actually gonna do anything to us, are they?" Nick asked.  
"I wouldn't risk it, sorry."

He left for the other room, and began making himself at home. Judy soon unpacked the last of her belongings, and required several attempts to leap into the vastly oversized bed. She helped Nick up, before lying down.  
"I'm beat," she muttered. "At least we don't have to do any paperwork while we're out here."  
"Yeah, too busy trying not to get shot," he replied, only half-joking.  
She nudged him gently.  
"It's not that bad. Good night, my roguish fox," she playfully cooed.  
Nick snorted, before turning to face Judy.  
"Carrots, what was that?"  
She laughed gleefully.  
"I'm just having fun."  
"I thought I was your _dumb_ fox."  
"Well, we're almost married now, I can't keep insulting you; that would be in poor taste."  
Nick chuckled.  
"Minus the travel, the airport, and the mugging, I could relive today forever."  
"Nick, that was practically all of today."  
"I know, I hated today," he answered, prompting her to laugh. "But I have to admit, seeing you laugh makes up for it."  
There was a knock on their door.  
"Yeah?" Nick answered.  
"I'd hate to ruin your good mood," Felix stated, cracking the door slightly. "But we have maybe seven hours to sleep, eat, and be ready out the door, and you're a teensy bit loud."  
They both laughed.  
"Sorry," they replied in unison.  
Felix closed the door, and they quickly dozed off in each others' arms.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
Outside Zootopia**

Kai was leafing casually through one of his books; he had already finished two, and despite having already read all of them at least once, he found nothing else to do with his time. He immediately stopped to look up when he heard a long, drawn out sigh.  
"Sirius."  
No response.  
"You were doing it perfectly for two hours and thirty seven minutes, until that sigh just then."  
"Well, what else am I supposed to do with my time?"  
"Other than infuriate me? Why not sit silently, or lie down. I can excuse your slow breathing, but when you make people noises on purpose, it just breaks my immersion."  
"Well, I'm sorry. I will admit, this feels very relaxing, therapeutic even, but I'm not sure if I can just sit here naked for eight hours a day."  
"Not even for a Scooby Snack?" Kai asked, throwing Sirius a piece of jerky; he caught it out of the air and quickly devoured it.  
"Was that a reference to some human thing? Say, I can just sleep here, right? I don't actually need to be awake the entire time?"  
"That's the whole idea."  
"Well, don't mind me, then." He curled up on the lightly padded flooring and closed his eyes.  
"God forbid you snore."  
"I don't."

After a minute of making sure the wolf kept his word, Kai returned to his book. Not ten seconds later, someone knocked on the door.  
"Who is it?" he asked, still reading from his text.  
The door opened, and Altair's small form walked through the frame.  
"Rabbit, repeat for me exactly what I just said."  
"You asked who was at the door, _human_." His voice was laden with malice.  
"Did I tell you to enter?"  
"No, but—"  
"Did I ask for my door to be opened, _at all_?"  
"… No."  
"Then why the hell did you think it was acceptable to waltz in like you own the place?"  
"I'm onto you, human."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I received word five days ago that one of your acquaintances was traveling to Sagarmatha. I know you sent him."  
"Ask yourself, why would I send him?"  
"Because you… Are you going to put that book down?"  
"No."  
"Are you even paying attention?!"  
"Yes."  
"One, Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Eight. Tell me the—"  
"Sum is sixty-nine, product is forty-eight thousand, max is thirty, min is one, median is ten, mean is thirteen and four-fifths, standard deviation: eleven point three-two."  
"Fine, you're paying attention. Could you at least give me the courtesy of looking at me while I'm talking to you?"  
"Respect is earned, not given. Considering you're two-foot four, you've got a long way up until we see eye to eye." He gently wet his finger on his tongue and turned the page.  
"Argh!" Altair stomped one of his legs on the ground furiously. "You sent him there to retrieve the leopardess!"  
"You told me not to do that, so why would I disobey? You almost make it sound as if I enjoy irritating you."  
Altair began to walk to the bed that Kai was lounging on, but stopped suddenly when he saw Sirius lying on the floor, staring wide-eyed at him.  
"Is… is that… who is that?"  
"Unimportant. You were about to threaten me?"  
"Sirius, is that you? What the hell are you doing, why are you naked on his floor? Are you drunk again?"  
"He's playing the role of my housepet," Kai answered.  
"Why?!"  
"Because if he doesn't, I'll withhold his medications."  
"You sick fuck. Just wait until Antares figures out that formula." He began to walk to the door. "Oh, and if you didn't send that Felix fellow, then I suppose it wouldn't upset you to hear that he won't find the leopardess at the monastery."  
"Why not?" The man looked up from his book.  
"Why so interested, all of a sudden? Are you going to accept responsibility for sending him?"  
"You're making it sound like she's dead, or he is."  
Altair laughed.  
"I didn't kill her, but he won't find her—"  
"Is she safe?" Kai interrupted.  
"No one will find her," Altair finished.  
"Is. She. Safe." Kai slammed the book shut and sat upright, staring daggers at the rabbit.  
"She's alive," he answered, eying the man warily, taking a step back. He exited and slammed the door.

"What a prick," Sirius muttered.  
"Dogs don't talk, Sirius. But, I'll agree."  
"Why did you lie?"  
"What about?"  
"You said you were withholding my pills so I would play dog; you and I both know that's not true."  
"Your reputation was at stake. Mine is already ruined. If I ever want a chance at passing any motions in a meeting, it'll have to come from you."  
"Fair enough. So what was he talking about, anyways?"  
"One of my former subordinates is traveling to Sagarmatha."  
"Why?"  
"To check on the leopardess' wellbeing."  
"So you did send him, then?"  
"Technically, no. Police Chief Bogo sent him."  
Sirius grinned.  
"Sly."  
"I'm reluctant to discover what the rabbit did."  
"So, what now?"  
"I'm going into town. Hold the fort."  
"You're leaving me alone here?"  
"I trust you won't eat all of the jerky."  
"I don't know, it's kind of going to be hard to resist the temptation."  
"I forgot you think with your stomach… How about this, I'll give you a scratch when I get back if you don't eat more than four ounces."  
"Oh, that is quite the dilemma. So, what are you going into town for?"  
"Not much," he answered, starting to get dressed. "I need to check up on the four remaining subordinates of mine, make sure they're still fine. After he burst in like that, I can't be too sure anymore."  
"I'm not sure that's such a great idea."  
"Why not?"  
"You're liable to get them killed if Altair thinks you're up to no good."  
"He wouldn't."  
"Why not?"  
"He knows I'd start an epidemic of airborne rabies, and that I'll aim for the most populated area. He wants me on a short leash at almost any cost, but even he knows not to risk losing a billion souls for the sake of one man."  
"You wouldn't actually do that, would you?"  
Kai gave a vampiric smile, before exiting.

* * *

Kai was heading to Prance's home; he had previously visited Rufus and Bjorn: neither were very shocked to see that he was a different color of wolf in his new disguise, and both were doing fine. As he walked along the city streets, he looked up to the rooftop of a building with a rather large billboard mounted atop it. He felt he was being watched ever since he left Bjorn's place, and he was correct: the same wolf that was watching inconspicuously from the rooftop across the street as he talked with the polar bear had somehow beaten him downtown, and was watching him through binoculars. He secretly wondered if there were tunnels through the Tundratown wall above the ground level; it was the only way he would be able to explain how she could stay at roof level the entire time. He made a pistol-shape with his fingers and pointed it at her, cocked his head, closed one eye, and mouthed the word 'Bang!'; as he did, she crouched behind the rooftop.

He feigned that he was no longer paying any attention and, sure enough, she peeked back over. She was extremely irritating; however, judging by her swiftness, she had to be one of the rabbit's better agents. He needed to get her off of his trail; he couldn't walk into the lobby of the building she was perched atop, as she would just building hop away. Instead, he cut a sharp right, and entered the first store he saw; the angle the spy had was such that she wouldn't be able to see him inside the store, and his hope was that she would stay there until she saw him exit.

A sheep covered in piercings, with wool dyed an unnatural color stared at him as he entered.  
"Back exit?" Kai asked.  
"What?"  
"Where's the back exit?"  
The sheep pointed a hoof behind himself; Kai quickly exited into an alley. From there, he made haste around the streets to the city block adjacent the wolf's nest. He scaled the side of the building, and hopped from building to building silently until he was on the same rooftop as she was.

He slowly crept up behind her, and laid down next to her, unnoticed. After five minutes, the wolf still hadn't removed her eyes from her scope, and he grew tired of waiting.  
"Anything interesting going on down there?" he spoke up suddenly. The wolf immediately jumped up and away, drawing her tranquilizer gun.  
"How did you sneak up on me?"  
"Well," he answered, getting to his feet. "You aren't as good as you think you are."  
"Hands up!"  
"Not likely."  
She shot several darts with admirable spread; not a single one drifted more than an inch from the center of his chest, and not a single one made it through his vest.  
"Geared, huh?" she muttered, drawing a knife and taking a pose.  
"You aren't seriously considering trying to go at me with that, are you?" he asked, standing arms akimbo.  
"I've been authorized to use lethal force."  
"Not on me, you haven't."  
She paused.  
"Yeah, don't bother acting tough. I know Savage would never let you harm a hair on my head."  
"Oh really? How could you know that?"  
"Because we're best buds," he answered dryly. "Now, stop following me."  
"Or what?"  
"Or I _will_ kill you."  
"I'd like to see you try."  
He stared for several moments, and she let loose a small, boisterous laugh.  
"I knew it. You can't."  
In the blink of an eye, he was six feet closer, and they now stood face to face.  
"Really?" he asked.

She swung her knife, and he grabbed it in his gauntlet, snapped it at the base, and tossed the broken blade aside. Immediately, she broke into a sprint to the edge of the rooftop closest to an adjacent building; he gave chase. As she tried to jump, he caught her leg, stopping her mid-leap. She let loose a pained grunt as she slammed into the side of the building.  
"Now, will you stop chasing me? It's really irritating me."  
She stared at him silently.  
"This is the part where you say 'yes'."  
"Or what?"  
"I drop you."  
"… Yes."  
"Good girl." He lifted her up by her leg and dropped her haphazardly on the rooftop, before walking away. "Now, you'd better not try anything."

He almost made it to the door before he heard the buzz of a radio, and the sound of her voice hissing as quietly as could still be audible at the receiving end.  
"Five forty-three, requesting backup; rooftop of the Advent building, suspect fleeing downstairs—"  
"Fleeing?" he yelled over to her, insulted, beginning to walk back. She ignored him.  
"Suspect is well trained, equipped with stab jacket—"  
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Again, she ignored him, despite the fact that he was no more than ten feet away.  
"Appearance: tall, male, brown timberwolf—"  
He laughed so loud that she was forced to interrupt her call.  
"What's so funny?!"  
"I'm no wolf."  
He dropped his disguise, revealing his slender form; his snout faded to reveal the ornamentation of his gas mask.  
"What are you?!"  
"What, you're done calling for backup?"  
She started slowly backing away, holding her radio up.  
"Suspect is not a wolf; repeat, suspect is NOT a wolf! Possibly not a mammal at all—"  
Her radio began buzzing, and she eased off of the button to hear the response.  
"This is Director Savage; what's your status, five forty-three?"  
"The suspect you had me tail, he's not… he's not a mammal! I need backup, Advent building rooftop!"  
"I'm on my way."  
"But sir, weren't you in a meeting?"  
"Irrelevant; hold him there until I arrive, let no one else find out."  
"Roger."

Her back hit the waist-high wall at the edge of the roof, and she could no longer keep backpedalling.  
"This is lovely, I don't even have to kill you."  
"You… don't?"  
"No, Savage will do it for me."  
"He wouldn't! Don't lie!"  
"Why do you think he doesn't want you telling anyone else?"  
"To protect the public!"  
"And why do you think he interrupted his meeting to come here?"  
She opened her mouth, but didn't answer.  
"Do you honestly think he doesn't know? Let me ask you a different question: why is he having you chase me? Is it, perhaps, because I'm dangerous? No, he would have already had me in his custody. Is it, then, because he wants information about my movements, my patterns? Something tells me no, that he hasn't instructed you to report back unless I do one of a few very specific things."  
"No! No, no, no!" she shouted. "He wouldn't, he couldn't! I'm his best agent! I'm not disposable!"  
"Haven't you heard? According to him, everyone's expendable."  
She collapsed against the wall, sat hunched over and began breathing heavily.  
"If it means anything, it's not personal. Your line of work just interferes with my interests."  
She glared at him.  
"That's not reassuring."  
"It wasn't supposed to be." He took a seat next to her. "I wouldn't worry about it. Take it from me, fear is the last emotion you want to feel before death."  
She moved a couple of feet away from him.

They sat in silence for just over fifteen minutes, until the rooftop access door was thrown open. The rabbit walked alone onto the rooftop; he wore a black suit and tie, not atypical of him. He walked up to the pair and took off his sunglasses, slowly shaking his head.  
"I'm disappointed in you."  
"Forgive me, sir," the wolf answered, lowering her head such that it almost hit the floor.  
"Not you, him."  
"Take a moment to realize that this is, in fact, your fault," Kai spoke, standing up and switching his disguise back on.  
"MY FAULT?!" he exploded, before taking several deep breaths. "My fault?! _You_ directly caused this. You took an oath—"  
"I didn't realize it was illegal to show my face in public."  
"You _swore_ not to reveal the Truth."  
"And what truth did I reveal?"  
"Don't act like you don't know." He sighed, drawing a silenced handgun and cocking it. "She was one of my best agents, too."  
"Was she? The way I see it then, you have two choices."  
"Oh really?"  
"You _could_ kill her."  
"Is there another choice?" Savage asked, pointing the gun at her head; she gave a small yelp and covered her face.  
"Or, you could induct her."  
He stood silent for a moment, before producing a very large frown.  
"You sneaky bastard, you did this on purpose to force my paw!"  
"Did I?" Kai gave a sly grin. "If she's really the best, then this shouldn't pose a problem to you at all."  
The rabbit's nose began to twitch, and his hand began to shake. Eventually, he put the gun away. The wolf peeked through her paws, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Her relief was short-lived, however, as Savage took a tranquilizer gun from inside his suit jacket and darted her.  
"Oh, the lengths you will go to keep the world ignorant," Kai taunted, beginning his walk away.  
"Where are you going?"  
"I still have someone to visit."  
"Hold on for a moment. You're going to carry her for me."  
"Wow, you actually chose that option?"  
"No; not yet, anyways. I need time to think, and I want her locked up so she can't talk. Pick her up."  
Kai slung her over his shoulders.  
"You do realize how much attention we're going to get, right?"  
"I have a badge, I'll handle it."

They exited through the building and walked two blocks to a black government vehicle, parked illegally along the curb.  
"Nice parking," Kai commented.  
"I didn't drive; we're allowed to park anywhere, anyways."  
The man threw the wolf into the back seat.  
"If you pull this shit again—," Savage began.  
"Well then, you'd better stop sending agents after me; you know the same thing will happen if you do."  
The rabbit shook his head and sat in the passenger's seat, and the car sped off. Kai turned around and began walking towards his original destination.

* * *

 **A/N: The 'roadside bandit' gag is a reference, in case any of you were wondering: 'speed bump' in Russian can be literally translated as a 'sleeping policeman'.**

 **I really hope this is a higher quality chapter than last time. I tried extra hard on the proofreading, which by Murphy's law, means there are going to be more typos.**

 **These updates might have to come a little more infrequently; my internship finally took off, and I'm pulling data from databases for cancer research. Filling out enormous spreadsheets sucks, but it looks good on my resume. Hell, I might even get my name on a research paper. However, that all means I'm spending hours in an office, and a lot of time in traffic. I fucking hate traffic: if I'm stuck in a line of cars for an hour, I expect to see someone smeared across the pavement; there's no other reason for anyone to go that slow. Yeah, I'm mean.**

 **Also, this story somehow managed to accrue 100 reviews and 20,000 views. What even qualifies as a view, clicking on the story and having it load? Whatever, I'm still amazed that I got any traction at all; I wanted to thank everyone who managed to stick it out this far. I still don't really know what I'm doing, but I guess it must be at least somewhat correct. I feel like this calls for some celebration, but I don't really have the time, so I trust you'll drink heavily for me.** **In addition, I'm nearing 200,000 words. What should I do when I hit it?  
**

 **Oh shit, did I turn into a sellout?**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #32: The United States is obliged to go to war for 67 different countries (should they be attacked) due to various treaties, including NATO, OAS, ANZUS, and the Bilateral Defense Treaty.**

 **Bonus Fact, since a recent review mentioned Rick and Morty: Rick and Morty is usually retroscripted: the voice actors are given a plot outline, and they ad-lib the exact dialogue.**

 **Also, I just had the weirdest thought: sex ed in Zootopia must be really difficult to teach, considering no two species have the same anatomy. Any biology, really. Would biology classes be segregated by species?**


	33. Chapter XXIX: The Tangled Webs We Weave

**Grand Sagarmathan Hotel  
Sagarmatha Port  
3 AM**

There was a knock on the door; Nick and Judy both shot up.  
"Time to get up," Felix piped up from the other side of the door.  
Nick looked at the clock. 3 AM. Of course.

They both got up and began preparing for their day's journey; various winter clothes were neatly laid out across the bed from the previous night, and they quickly got dressed. The rest of their items went into their cases, and they reconvened with Felix just outside.  
"You two look overdressed," he spoke, amused.  
"It's the middle of November, and we're going up mountains," Nick replied. "I don't enjoy being cold."  
"Fair enough. Come on, let's go eat."  
"Eat where?" Judy inquired. "We're not going to leave the hotel for food, are we?"  
"There's a fully furnished kitchen in this room, I thought you remembered."  
"Oh."

They scavenged the refrigerator for anything that looked reasonably edible, and soon, they were ready to head out.  
"Should we check out?" Nick asked.  
"Well, probably not; the plane back is sometime in the morning, right? So, rather than leave the monastery before nightfall and travel through the night, we could leave in the morning and spend a night here again," Felix responded.  
"Seems reasonable."  
"I wouldn't leave anything here, though. The cleaning staff might steal it if you aren't careful."  
"This is the shittiest city I've ever been to, and I've been a lot of places," the fox grumbled.

The trio locked the room, and took an elevator to the lobby. They carefully walked out of the building, and found a small rickety car waiting for them. Felix exchanged several words with the driver, they stashed their belongings in the trunk, and got in. Several more words that neither Nick nor Judy could quite understand, and they went on their way.  
"Alright," Felix whispered to them. "A quick stop at home, and then we'll be on our way to the monastery."  
"Shouldn't take too long, right?" Judy asked.  
"No, half an hour maybe. I told them we're on a tight schedule."  
She nodded, and fell silent.

The ride was fairly uneventful, and the road soon transitioned from a more or less smooth, paved surface, into a rough one, one made of packed dirt. Every pothole in the road forced Nick's head to slam into the side of the car; soon, he had quite the headache stirring, and there was no sign that the road would improve any time soon.  
"How much longer, Felix?" Nick asked, massaging his temples.  
"Oh, five, ten more minutes perhaps."

Twenty minutes later, they began seeing small shacks on the sides of the road, and not long after that, some sturdier and taller, although still wooden, structures.  
"This…" Felix began, pausing and motioning with his paws for dramatic effect. "Is my village."  
"If you grew up in a monastery another nine hours away, how is _this_ your village?" Nick hissed.  
Felix laughed.  
"It's the most ancient and prestigious monastery in the land; when the monks came to settle a dispute once, I asked if I could tag along, and they agreed."  
"And they took you nine hours away?"  
"Well, not quite. I stayed at the local monastery for about a month or two, and they decided my skills would be better suited in Mahalangur. So, I made the journey with one of them."  
"What about your family?" Judy asked. "Weren't they worried about you?"  
"Well, in times of famine, my going to the monastery was just one less mouth to feed."  
"That's terrible!" she exclaimed.  
"Well, hey, they knew I would be in good care. Besides, that was years and years ago; they've since managed to get the land irrigated, and proper pens built. Farming is much more lucrative now."  
"What do you farm?"  
"Poultry, melons, berries, nuts, some other fruits… Not too far from here, there's a fish farm."  
"I thought cats only ate meat," Nick muttered.  
Felix laughed again.  
"That's somewhat true; however, we enjoy the occasional melon or two. Our village also has more than just cats; there's a whole variety of mammals to be found. What they don't eat, we sell at the port."  
"What, it doesn't get stolen?"  
Judy kicked him hard.  
"Don't answer that," she stated, first giving a nervous chuckle, and then staring Nick down.  
"You know, it's funny," Felix began. "I say 'we' like I'm still living here, but I haven't been here since… before I spent a year in the port. Years. What will they think?"  
"I'm sure they'll be glad to see you're doing great in Zootopia," Judy responded cheerfully.  
"I hope so."

Eventually, after several minutes of moving at a snail's pace, the car came to a stop in front of a large barn.  
"Well, now or never," Felix stated, opening the door; the driver exited and headed past the barn to a house in the distance.  
"Is never a valid option?" Nick asked. Judy was about to slap him upside the head, but Felix laughed.  
"Yeah, I get what you're saying; I'm secretly dreading this reunion."  
"Why?"  
"They tried to rope me into coming back here as a farmhand over the phone last night. I'm afraid to see what they'll do now that I'm actually here."  
They exited the car and walked into the barn. Large bunches of straw covered the four corners, and some old farming equipment lay strewn about.  
"I wonder," Felix muttered, as he scaled a ladder onto the second story. "Aha! Just like I left it!"  
"What?" Judy called from below.  
"I used to sleep up here with a few of my siblings in the summer, when it wasn't too cold, and when the house was crowded. It's all still here, down to the doll I used to own," he reminisced. "Don't tell anyone back at the precinct."  
"I think it's really touching," she replied thoughtfully.  
"Why's that?"  
"It means they cared about you, and wanted to remember you."  
"Eh, they just don't get around to cleaning this barn. They're old now, they have farmhands come in and help out now."

The driver returned with a large gathering of snow leopards, as well as several other mammals.  
"Felix?" one of them called out. Simultaneously, several kittens and kits swarmed around Nick and Judy. Felix replied from his roost, and descended. When he finally came before them, they stood silent for a long time; eventually, they broke the silence with tears and a hug. They began conversing for a very long time, all the while ignoring Nick's attempts to flag their attention. As they conversed, Judy turned to the little ones who, compared to her, were not quite so little.  
"Hello!" she piped up cheerfully.  
They only stared in awe.  
"Can you understand me?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.  
Still no response; they did, however, begin reaching out and gently poking her. Nick laughed, up until one of them grabbed at her ears.  
"Hey, it's rude to grab at a rabbit's ears," he warned. They, of course, ignored him, now grabbing at his tail as well. Judy giggled.  
"They don't take you seriously, Nick."  
"They can't understand me, you mean. Savages," he grumbled.  
Felix approached them with two other, older snow leopards. One of them shouted something unintelligible, and the kits surrounding Nick and Judy scurried away.  
"Nick, Judy; these are my parents."  
"Hello," Judy gingerly responded, waving. They stared at her, with a lost look in their eyes. "Erm…"  
They laughed.  
"We're just kidding," Felix's father spoke. "We understand you."  
She breathed a sigh of relief.  
"I imagine it must be stressful, not understanding anyone," Felix's mother interjected.  
"Yeah, it gets to me sometimes," Judy responded.  
"So, are you hungry?"  
"I don't want to impose—"  
"Yes," Nick and Felix answered simultaneously.

They began to walk to the house.  
"What are you two doing in Sagarmatha?"  
"Oh, we're celebrating—" Nick began, before Felix kicked his leg. "Celebrating… a year without injuries in our precinct."  
"You're police officers, too?"  
"Yeah, Judy and I are cops."  
They laughed.  
"Zootopia is strange; I didn't think they let smaller mammals work the big jobs."  
"Well, we both scored top of our class at the academy."  
"How many bribes do you take, on average?"  
"Bribes?" Judy asked.  
"You don't get bribes?"  
"Ma, cops in Zootopia are respectable."  
"Only if you say so, Felix."  
They reached the house, and entered. Inside, there was a large table set up with bowls of fruits and nuts along its entire length. Already sitting at the table, and now staring at the recent entrants, appeared to be the rest of Felix's family.  
"Well, have a seat!" Felix's father stated. "Help yourselves!"

Felix sat with his parents, and Nick and Judy took two adjacent empty seats; someone had to fetch a collection of wooden planks to provide the boost for both of them to be able to see above the table. The smell of ripe fruit was appetizing, especially considering the meager portions they ate in the morning. As he glanced around, Nick could hardly tell what anything on the table was; there were some familiar berries, and then there were some exotically shaped fruits that looked like eggs. As he scanned the plates that were laid out, his eyes stopped on a plate of what appeared to be blueberries.  
"Are those…" he asked, pointing to the bowl.  
"Blueberries," the mother responded.  
Seeing that everyone else was just reaching with their hands, he took a handful of blueberries and tossed them into his mouth. He bit down, hoping to savor their sweet ripe flavor, but to his disgust, found that they were extremely tart, borderline sour. He tried his hardest not to gag or spit, and eventually chewed and swallowed.  
"So?"  
"They're a bit sour," he choked out.  
Someone translated, and everyone laughed.  
"It's an acquired taste."  
Nick exchanged a glance with Judy, attempting to convey the message of 'these mammals are crazy'. She gave the subtlest nod.

He spent the next fifteen minutes sampling the various dishes, which to his delight, were more reasonably sweet. Soon, he came upon some kiwifruit, and what appeared to be white kiwifruit.  
"What are those?" he asked quietly of Judy; having grown up not the wealthiest of foxes, he had never seen the exotic fruits, save for occasional advertisements for foreign resorts.  
"The green one is kiwi, and the white one is…" She trailed off, trying desperately to remember the name. Sensing their confusion, Felix came to their rescue once again.  
"It's _buah naga_ , the dragonfruit. In Zootopia they call it Pitaya."  
"Pitaya! It was on the tip of my tongue," Judy muttered.  
"Try it," Felix offered.  
Nick grabbed a slice of each; he found he emerald-colored fruit to be pleasant, whereas the white one was bland, and fairly tasteless.  
"Not bad," he commented.  
"You should see them before they're prepared; then you'll get why they're called dragonfruit."

All was well in Nick's eyes, until Judy reached for a bowl in front of Felix's parents.  
"Interesting ring," the father noted. "Are you married?"  
"Soon, yeah," she answered absentmindedly.  
"To whom?"  
"Oh, erm…" She glanced at Felix, who very subtly shook his head, and then at Nick, who stared wide-eyed.  
"Wait…" he gave a nervous chuckle. "You're not actually getting married to… to him?"  
"N-No! Of course not! How could you suggest that?"  
"Who, then?"  
"Scott Hopper," she invented. "Childhood friends; proposed a few weeks ago."  
"Why, then, are you traveling with the fox?"  
"We're coworkers, nothing more. Our trip was paid for by the precinct."  
"I see…" he skeptically muttered.  
"Well, I'd hate to be the one to interrupt the festivities," Felix interjected, "But we really must get going." He repeated the statement in Sagarmathan, tapped Nick and Judy on the shoulders, and the trio exited.

"That was close, huh?" Felix stated. Judy didn't respond, instead giving a dejected look.  
"What's the matter, Carrots?" Nick asked.  
"That felt… wrong."  
"Come on, I know you didn't mean it. Knowing this back-ass place, they probably would have shot us."  
"It's not a stretch," Felix affirmed.  
"Yeah… let's just get going," Judy muttered.  
"Thankfully, I get the car from here on out. We don't have to be stuck with any more of my relatives."  
"How long now?" Nick asked. "A realistic estimate this time."  
"Around ten hours."  
"Oh, lovely."  
"I know. I'm going to hate driving for ten hours almost as much as you're going to hate lounging for them."  
Nick leaned in close to them.  
"We'd better find her when we get there."  
"Oh, don't fucking get me started."  
As soon as Felix filled the gas tank with a few canisters from the barn, they set off.

* * *

 **Tundratown  
Zootopia**

Kai could not locate Neal anywhere in the BCD's labs, or in any branch of the hospital system. He decided to pay a visit to the fox's apartment, in the hopes that he might find him there. He knocked on the door, and it was answered by Vega, eyes red from crying.  
"Where's Neal?" Kai asked.  
"It's… It's you…" she responded, before proceeding to tear up.  
"Calm down; I need to know where he is."  
"He's…" She couldn't finish the statement, instead falling onto Kai's leg in an attempt to dry her tears on his clothing.  
"I couldn't find Regulus, and Neal's nowhere to be found in any hospital."  
"He's dead," she cried out, muffled into his leg.  
He was taken aback.  
"That's impossible, I gave Regulus good antivirals, the best medications."  
"They didn't work."  
"Bullshit they didn't work. Where is Neal?"  
She motioned for him to enter the apartment; he closed the doorway behind himself and waited in the entrance as she walked out of sight. She returned several moments later with what appeared to be a jar of medium size.  
"This isn't funny, Vega."  
He took the jar and removed the lid, revealing a fine gray powder, which he presumed to be ashes.  
"These aren't his ashes, they can't be!"  
"Yes, they are…" She sobbed into a handkerchief.  
"How can you be certain?" He narrowed his gaze.  
"I was there when they cremated him."  
Kai returned the urn to her, and began to tremble. Rage washed over him as he realized the deception; he slammed his fist through a table, shattering it into splinters.  
"DAMNIT!" he roared, shattering the glass pane on a cabinet. "It's all my fucking fault!"  
"It's not, please!"  
"I should have NEVER trusted that fucking fox!" he shouted, breaking a chair into small fragments. "I should have done it all myself!"  
"Stop!" she pleaded. "It won't bring him back. My father did the best he could."  
"Your father?!" He was now shouting at her, and she cowered before him. He punched a column, breaking it in half. "Your father didn't even try treating him!"  
"How can you say that?" she stuttered. "I know you don't like him, but—"  
"Panacea and sulfochloroketamine complex together with blood plasma to make it flame retardant. If he actually was cremated, you wouldn't have ashes, you would have a nearly black tar."  
"W-What?"  
"Your father also didn't bother coming to me for more medications; even if the first set didn't work, he always had the opportunity to retrieve more. Instead…" He crushed the table leg beneath his foot, grinding it to dust. "He stole the medications I gave him. I imagine he's trying to reproduce them."  
"No," she spoke, before falling into a chair.  
"Where is he? I'm going to wring his fucking neck when I see him."  
"He's at the Platz Medical Tower in Mapleton; he should be, at least."  
"Where, exactly?"  
"Seventy miles Southwest."  
Kai turned and began to leave, but Vega grabbed at his coattail.  
"Take me along. I need to talk to him, too."  
"You'll have to beat me there, because when I find him, he will thrash in agony, BEG for my forgiveness, and I will deny it."  
"Please, try to calm down; I'm as upset about Neal's death as you are, but I want answers more than I want senseless revenge."  
"Oh, I'll get both, and the revenge won't be senseless; it will be very calculated and methodical," he replied coldly.  
They both quickly descended to street level.

"What's the fastest way to Mapleton?"  
"There's a train that goes there every hour."  
He quickly made his way to Savannah Central, and from there purchased two tickets; they boarded the train, and began speeding towards their destination.  
"I don't know what I'm going to say…" she muttered.  
"I know what I'm going to do," he replied.  
"Which is?"  
"Lex talionis."  
"What's that?"  
"An eye for an eye."  
"You can't kill him!"  
"Why not?"  
"He's the only family I have left."  
"He is a vile fiend."  
"I… I just don't know anymore."  
They sat in silence until they reached their destination; the station was barren, and they were two of only five in the entire locale.  
"Alright, lead me to the tower."

They set off, man behind vixen. The town seemed eerie and quiet; uncomfortably so.  
"Where is everyone?" Kai asked.  
"This is a small town; if they're not employed at the medical labs or the factory, they have no business being here."  
"Population?"  
"Around a million?" she guessed.  
After five minutes of steady walking, they reached a very tall building; easily fifty stories.  
"Why is there a skyscraper this tall in a town this small?"  
"This is where all of the medical offices are. The labs are in a different building, but it's only a five minute walk."  
"Mammals never cease to astonish me."

He walked past the revolving door and entered.  
"Where's Regulus' office?"  
"Top floor; he's the head of the BDC, so he gets the luxury of one of the bigger offices."  
As Kai approached the elevator, a security guard asked him for an ID. Vega flashed hers, and they were let by. They quickly entered the elevator.  
"Pathetic security," Kai observed as the doors closed.  
"Hey, they don't expect someone like you to come bursting in with revenge on their mind."  
"Were I in his place, I would have stationed a thousand guards at the door."  
The elevator slowly ascended to the top floor. There were only two offices on the highest level, and the other one belonged to some miscellaneous researcher of no concern to either of them. The duo marched to Regulus' office, and opened the door.  
"Hans, didn't I say to knock before—Oh, Lyra and the human; to what do I owe this pleasure?"  
"Regulus, where are the antivirals that I gave you?"  
"Spent, I'm afraid. The fox didn't respond well to them, and unfortunately passed away."  
Kai approached the desk.  
"Do not lie to me. I know you didn't even bother treating him. Where are the antivirals?"  
"Of course I treated him! What else would I—"  
He was interrupted when the man grabbed him by his throat from across the desk and held him aloft, no more than an inch from his face.  
"Contrary to popular belief, Karahan, dead men _do_ tell tales. His ashes wouldn't be ashes if you actually treated him. Where. Are. My. Antivirals?"  
The fox only stuttered, refusing to answer. The man slammed him into the desk, cracking the surface.  
"Answer me!"  
Regulus began to breathe harder, but gave no indication of yielding any time soon.  
"He doesn't respond to pain," Vega piped up. "Don't bother."  
Kai retrieved a syringe from his vest and jabbed it into the doctor. The man could hear the fox's heartbeat quicken, but as before, there was no visible change.  
"That almost always works. Oh well, if pain can't get through to him…" He retrieved a small glass vial, filled with a viscous, dark red fluid. "Then perhaps fear will."  
"What is that?" Regulus asked, trying to wriggle free.  
"The late fox's blood. Tell me, Vega; you are an expert of sorts on rabies, correct?"  
"Something like that."  
"What is the virion size?"  
"Seventy-five nanometers."  
"Would I be correct in presuming it can pass through mucous membranes, then?"  
"In a matter of seconds, yes, but you aren't really considering—"  
The man uncapped the vial with his thumb and index finger, and pinned Regulus against the desk with his other hand.  
"Now. The antivirals?"  
The fox stared, wide eyed, at his daughter.  
"I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way, then," Kai muttered. He forced the fox's jaw open and brought the vial close. Almost immediately he began to yell protests. "Are you ready to talk?"  
"They're in the labs, here in town!" Regulus shouted.  
"How can I be certain you're not lying?"  
"I put them here because I was afraid you would break into the BCD's labs!"  
"Vega, find out if it's true; you can make the call, right?"  
She picked up the phone on the desk and, after looking at the extensions list, dialed a number. After almost five minutes of verifying her identity, and a brief conversation, she hung up.  
"They're there," she answered.  
"Good." Kai forced Regulus' jaw open once more, and dumped the contents of the vial into his mouth; the fox screamed in protest, but was quickly silenced when the man clamped his jaw and nose shut. He writhed and struggled in the man's grip, attempting to break free, but could not. His eyes darted from the man's cold stare, to the horrified look in his daughter's eyes, to the ceiling. In the end, he was forced to swallow to prevent himself from choking on the fluid. As soon as he swallowed, Kai let go.  
"What did you do that for?!" Vega shouted.  
Regulus began heaving, and forced himself to vomit.  
"Don't bother, Regulus. It's already in your blood," Kai spoke. He cut the phone line, and began walking towards the door. "And don't think you can make it to the labs before I do. I want you to suffer like he did."  
He opened the door.  
"Come, Vega."  
She gingerly and slowly walked towards the door; as she exited, she gave one glance back at her father. The terror in his eyes made her wish she hadn't. The man closed the door before she could say anything.

"Why?!" she yelled.  
"Lex talionis. Come, I have antivirals to retrieve."  
"He was the only family I had left…"  
"Don't dwell in the past. He abused you and hated you, despite the fact that you tried everything to please him, simply because you physically could not be something he wanted."  
"That doesn't matter. He was my father."  
The man sighed.  
"If it would please you, I can fix him up after a week. I fail to see the point, though."  
"You… you will?"  
"I suppose, if it provides you peace of mind. Once I retrieve the antivirals and panacea, the only real harm that will have been done is Neal's death. While your father's suffering doesn't quite amount to it in full, I might just have to accept it if I don't want to cause any further harm."  
She wrapped her arms around his legs.  
"Thank you."  
"I still don't understand; after everything he's done, you can still love him?"  
"Love isn't just a one-time thing out of convenience, you have to understand."  
"Mammals are strange."  
They entered the elevator.  
"What, do humans not love?"  
"Oh, they do."  
" _They_?"  
"Love isn't for me."  
"You just haven't found the special mammal for you yet."  
"I'll outlive them anyways; they wouldn't be in it for me, they'd be in it for something else."  
"Why are you so cynical?"  
"Cynicism is just knowing the outcome before it happens, and knowing you are powerless to change it."  
She stared at him for a long time.  
"You loved someone, long ago, didn't you?"

* * *

 **Long Ago**

Kai had entered the medical tent; he had returned from his command post at the Eastern front lines when he received the bad news.  
"General," the surgeon spoke, taking off his bloodied gloves and lowering his mask.  
"Explain why you can't just share the surgical implements," Kai demanded.  
"It's… the situation's gotten bad. We're down to one set of sterile tools, and two pouches of antiseptic; it's not enough to clean between each use. If we shared, they might survive the initial surgery, but they would die of blood poisoning in a week, seeing how we're trapped here."  
"She would die," Kai corrected. He looked to the surgical cots at the far end of the tent; there lay Vitya, his long-time friend and comrade, and Anastasia, his charge and subservient lieutenant.  
"Well, yes; that brings up the second problem. You know just as well as I do that, being augmented like you, his blood is already toxic to her; we don't have the immunosuppressants to make it safe, and if we can't clean the implements, it would kill her off outright. I didn't want to make the choice, it's why I called you in."  
Kai walked past the surgeon to his wounded allies. As soon as Anastasia saw him, she begged not to die; whether it was of him or of some higher power, he could not say. Vitya, however, lay silent, although Kai could tell that he was perfectly conscious; at least for the time being. He took a seat on a small chair near the beds.  
"Come on, Ana, you're tougher than this, you've been through worse. Remember the assassin?" he mocked in jest; the situation looked dire, she appeared frightened, and he didn't want to unnerve her any further by discussing cold logic.  
"I don't know," she whimpered. "Cobalt shrapnel in all of my organs kinda takes the cake from being stabbed in the leg."  
"Cobalt?" He looked to the surgeon; this detail had been spared from him.  
"The Colonel took most of the blast, tackled me when the shell landed next to us. I'd have been torn to ribbons if he hadn't."  
"You hear that, Vitya, you're a real hero."  
No response.  
"Listen, Rhett, I don't want to make you have to choose between us."  
"I thought conflict on the Northern Front was over, who shelled you?"  
"I don't know."  
"When I find out..."  
"Don't bother; you know what they say about revenge: you'll have to dig two graves."  
"One for him, and one for his children. I'll have his family executed once we annex the land."  
"You're missing the point. News travels slow out here with the blackout. Maybe they just didn't know."  
"Ignorance is no excuse."  
"Just... Just be happy the war is almost over."  
"At what cost..." he lamented.  
She grabbed his hand.  
"I don't want to die, Rhett, but if it's for the good of the nation, I'd be willing to go for the Colonel."  
"I don't want you to die, either."

Vitya chuckled.  
"Vitya, why so silent until now? You know that I've been here for five minutes."  
"I was aware of that, yes," Vitya replied. "I just didn't want to ruin your moment."  
"Your thoughts?" Even in this time of peril, Kai found himself consulting his friend; although he was general, he was still reluctant to make choices without a second opinion.  
"Logically, I am the better choice: I am a soldier and officer of higher rank, whereas she is a non-combatant officer of lower rank; I am almost guaranteed to recover from surgery, whereas her chances are fifty-fifty at best."  
"You say 'logically' as if it's not the only factor."  
Vitya let out a strained chuckle.  
"We're seventy-one, Garrett. I'm seventy-one. I've seen my fair share of life and death, of war and peace, of love and hate…"  
"Don't get sappy on me."  
"And I know love when I see it."  
"This isn't really love, Vitya."  
"Then what do you call it?"  
"She is my subordinate."  
"I've seen the way you look at her, how she looks at you; how you talk about each other."  
"I..." Kai trailed off; he didn't know how to respond.  
"I'm ready to move on. Besides, the war is practically over: as soon as Oz finishes the negotiations, the fighting in the East will stop, and you'll have no need for an old war dog like me."  
"Ah, Ozymandias: when will his kingdom come to ruin?" Kai mused woefully.  
"I reckon that old man has at least another war left in him, preferably one I don't have to fight in."  
"His wars are always at our expense. So, Vitya, what would you choose?"  
"Were I in your place, and if I knew you felt as I do, now, I would choose her."  
"Why?"  
"She is young, and has her full life ahead of her."  
"She will never live as long as you will."  
"Don't rob her of her chance at a natural life, Garrett. Not like they robbed us."

Kai stared for what seemed to him like an eternity, deep in thought.  
"Hey, Garrett, don't wait up; she doesn't have long. Besides, there's still a chance that I'll survive these wounds."  
"Why can we never source panacea when we need to? You're worth at least fifteen million."  
"Oh come on, you know the cost to augment a soldier is only around eleven." Another strained laugh. "Growing immortality is maybe an extra million. Stock humans are worth so much less in his eyes."  
"General," the surgeon interrupted. "You don't have much time."  
"The girl," Vitya suggested.  
There was a long pause.  
"The girl," Kai confirmed.  
Hearing him speak those two words, Anastasia reached out and grabbed hold of his arm.  
"I might never get a chance to say this again, but..." she began quietly, before raising her voice confidently. "I love you."  
"I knew it," Vitya chuckled. "When this is all over, you two should see the world. What's left of it, anyways."  
"Shut it, Vitya, or the shrapnel isn't going to be what kills you."  
"Just think," Anastasia began, as the surgeon pushed anesthetic through her IV line. "Us, the vineyards of France, fine champagne, the gorgeous sunset..."  
Kai sighed.  
"That does sound nice."

* * *

 **Present Day**

Before he could answer her question, the elevator doors opened; there was a very large crowd gathered just outside the building.  
"What's the commotion?" Vega asked of the security guard standing by the revolving door.  
"Someone jumped."  
She quickly ran to the windows to look outside; she couldn't see much past the crowd but she could see a very large pool of blood welled on the ground. Kai began to laugh.  
"What's the matter with you? Someone just killed themselves!"  
"I fucked up."  
"What?"  
"Wait here. Under no circumstances are you to leave this building."  
Kai exited and approached the crowd; he quickly pushed his way to the center, and found lying in the center of the blood pool none other than Regulus. The fox's eyes lazily drifted from looking straight into the sky to him.  
"Everyone back up." Kai spoke, crouching down. All of the mammals in the crowd took several steps back. "How are you still alive?"  
"You'd better not… steal back… the medicine…" Regulus gasped quietly.  
"Why not?"  
"Look around…"  
Kai's gaze shifted from mammal to mammal in the crowd; quite a few of them had small droplets of blood on their fur and clothing, and nearly all of them were standing in the pool.  
"If a single one scrapes their foot… or breathed in a single drop… they'll be dead within a week…"  
"You realize the repercussions if one of them leaves the city, right?"  
"Which is why… you'll have to let… us figure out… the formulations…"  
"There are a million mammals in this city alone. How can you possibly hope to synthesize that many vials in under two weeks?"  
"Where there's a will… there's a way…"  
Kai looked around; he could already see parts of the crowd dispersing.  
"I'm not going to risk this many vectors for disease wandering around." He stood and returned to the Vega's side in the building, drawing his cell phone and dialing a number.

"Who is this?" a gruff voice answered on the receiving end.  
"Arcturus, I need to ask a favor."  
"Procyon, is that you? You want something from _me_? This'll be rich."  
"I need you to set up military blockades on all roads and railroads in and out of Mapleton. Send a chopper to the medical tower."

* * *

 **A/N: I wanted to give a big thanks to Jackofallfables for helping me get this chapter out, with help including proofreading, editing, suggestions, and more.** **This chapter took admittedly longer than I wanted, but I needed to make sure it was of good quality. Hopefully it is.**

 **I'll try to get a chapter out before the weekend, but it'll be hard. In all honesty, the Nick and Judy sections take the bulk of the time to write, and I can knock the second half out in around 4-6 hours.**

 **Edit: I totally forgot to include this when I pushed the chapter out, but whomever questioned the fall calculations and terminal velocity, I redid them. I was off by about 12 seconds because I used the wrong projected surface area (I used 2 square meters, but it should really be closer to 1.28). Instead of 2 mins and 2 seconds, Kai's 6 mile fall would actually take around 1 min 50 seconds. For reference, I used a fluid density of 1.225 kg*m^-3, a drag coefficient of 1.3, projected surface area of 1.28 m^2, and a mass of 500 kg.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #33: Michael Phelps' medals combined weigh more than his son.**


	34. Chapter XXX: Ground Zero

**Mahalangur  
Evening**

Nick was feeling a sense of immense boredom; whereas Judy was taking in all the sights and sounds of the land, he just couldn't muster the interest to do so. Felix had told them that they were around thirty minutes away from the monastery, but knowing the cat's previous time estimates, Nick took it with a grain of salt.  
"Wow, Nick, look at that!" Judy blurted out, pointing off somewhere into the countryside.  
"Uh huh."  
"Everything alright?" She turned to face him.  
"Yeah, I'm just…" He didn't know how to answer. "Tired."  
"Lucky for you we're almost there," Felix stated. "See, there's the gate, up there."  
Nick looked forward; far in the distance, but before the horizon, he could make out a wall of some sort in the dim light, very slightly contrasted against a tall mountain. Atop the wall were lit several fires, which shone like stars in the darkness.  
"Finally."

After reaching the wall, they drove through a very wide gate. On the inside, a narrow road wound through a small village. As they passed the houses, the residents that weren't indoors stared at them.  
"I don't like this," Nick stated.  
Felix laughed.  
"We're safer here than in the precinct. Don't worry too much."  
Near the end of the road, Felix drove slightly off to the side and parked. The trio exited, taking their belongings.  
"Now where?" Judy asked.  
"Up," Felix answered, pointing to a long and winding stairway some ways off.  
"No," Nick answered in disbelief.  
"It's not that much of a climb. Only about seven thousand stairs total, and the monastery starts half-way up."  
"What the hell is at the top?!"  
"The Great Stupa."  
"The what?"  
"A place of meditation." Felix started up the stairs. "Well, are you coming?"

* * *

"And here we are! Three-thousand seven-hundred and forty-one stairs." Felix sounded very cheery, much to Nick's disgust. The entire climb up, Judy was marveling at the beauty, while he was hauling step after painful step, with sharp pains coursing through his lower back where the knife that he had fallen on long ago had once been. The stairs leveled out for a while, turning into a pathway that wound around the mountain. Nick and Judy followed the snow leopard as he walked towards a large archway. A robed Bengal tiger greeted them as they approached.  
"Namaste," he spoke, holding his paws together and bowing. Felix repeated the gesture. "May I assist you in anything?"  
"We were hoping for accommodations," Felix responded. "And, perhaps, to speak to the Geshe."  
"Certainly. Follow me."  
They followed the tiger through the arch and towards a few small huts.  
"Where is everyone?" Nick asked.  
"You are the first guests that have come to us for the last three days, and the only ones with us tonight. The monks are praying at the peak, and will return shortly for supper. Would you care to join us?"  
"Of course," Felix responded in his stead.

They entered one of the huts, which seemed far roomier on the inside than the outside.  
"Make yourselves at home. I will notify Geshe-la Bikash that you wish to speak with him."  
"I wouldn't want you to go to the peak, you can wait for him to return," Felix replied.  
"Oh, his health hasn't been kind to him as of late; he meditates by the reflecting pool. It won't be too much of an inconvenience."  
He bowed, and exited.  
"You know, considering we're on a mountain in the middle of November," Judy began. "I would have expected it to be colder."  
"It gets colder at night. I would stay somewhat dressed," Felix stated.  
"So, what's it like being back here?" Nick asked.  
"It's… nice."  
"That's it?"  
"Well, it's hard to describe. I came here for a reason, and I don't want to get too comfortable."

They began to unpack; several minutes later, the monk returned.  
"Geshe-la Bikash agreed to speak with you; if you would follow me."  
They followed the tiger again; they entered a large, intricately carved cave, descending several stairs. The inside was lit by electrical lights, powered by some distant source; the incandescent lighting on the tunnel walls showed its ancient appearance, easily a thousand years old, but perhaps even double or triple that.

The tunnel branched several ways, and along each branch lay several rooms. Nick managed to peek glances here and there, and saw shrines, tables, and various other ornaments. In one room, he saw what appeared to be an ancient painting depicting a strange scene. Although the pigmentation was chipped away in many places, he could just make out a figure, familiar in form, standing with a glow around his head, holding his palm out above other very familiar figures who were kneeling before him. Very familiar, human figures. He immediately stopped dead in his tracks and stared. Noticing he was no longer being followed, the monk returned.  
"What is this?" Nick asked, taken aback.  
"That is the Buddha."  
"Who?"  
"The enlightened one. He is teaching the unenlightened."  
"But he's human…"  
"He's what?" Judy asked, confused.  
"The final mortal rung in the cycle of Samsara," the monk explained. "It is not believed that anyone has achieved such good karma yet."  
"Wow, Nick, I didn't think you were this cultured," Judy joked.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick asked, brow raised.  
"I mean... city fox, never travels... where'd you learn about Sagarmathan monk culture?"  
"Come," the tiger interrupted. "We shouldn't keep the Geshe-la waiting."

Several winding turns later, they reached a large room with a shallow, perfectly circular, crystal-clear pool of water in the center. The bottom was tiled with another mural of the Buddha. At the opposite end of the room, kneeling before the pool, was an elderly corsac fox. By his side was a staff with a large circlet permanently affixed to one end, and looped onto the circlet were six smaller rings.

The tiger and Felix both stooped very low, holding palms together. The tiger addressed the master by name, and introduced the three guests.  
"Felix Shingis? That name sounds familiar," the elderly monk stated.  
"I studied here many years ago."  
The corsac smiled.  
"Now I remember; you also sent the leopardess to me. Come, sit."  
They each took a seat around the pool.  
"When did you last eat?" the elder monk asked, concerned.  
"Around nine hours ago, just outside of the port."  
"We must get you fed, then!"  
"Actually, we can wait; please, continue your praying."  
Nick let out a pained squeak, which only Judy seemed to hear; she shot him a sad look of understanding.  
"I was already finished, but perhaps I could share the parable of the pond."  
"This is a good one," Felix whispered to Nick and Judy.

"Look at the pond, and notice how still it is." He motioned to the pond; it was, indeed, motionless. "Here, in its isolated room in the caverns, there is nothing that can stir its waters, save for the might of the Earth itself. Here, the water is like the flow of the universe."  
He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small bunch of flower petals, scattering them about the waters.  
"The petals stay about their course, drifting with the initial force that I threw them. The petals represent each of us, drifting upon our separate ways."  
Two of the petals touched, and began drifting together.  
"When we meet, we form bonds; often inseparable, despite our different natures. Much like you two: fox and rabbit, and yet, you two are drifting through life together, inseparable." He gave a sly smile.  
"How did you know?" Judy asked.  
"The ring. That, and the way he keeps glancing at you." He smiled.  
Soon, a few of the petals began to sink.  
"And, in the end, we must die."  
The elderly monk picked up his khakkhara and shook it slightly; the rings on the end rang out.  
"However…" He dipped the staff into the waters, causing ripples to scatter out. Several more petals sank when the waves hit them. "Every action we take has lasting consequences on everyone around us, whether we intend them to or not. Notice how the ripples bounce around. This represents how our decisions take a long time to settle down: forgiveness doesn't come easily from others; it must be earned."  
Eventually, the ripples died down.  
"But, in the end, by learning to forgive, we can bring inner peace to ourselves and our community."  
Suddenly, the waters began to ripple again. At first, it was hardly noticeable, but it quickly grew to be very violent; even the room began to tremble slightly. Every remaining petal sank. After a minute, everything was still again.  
"Strange… earthquakes don't usually happen this time of year," the elder monk muttered. "Sanjit, please see that the reflecting pond gets cleaned. Join us for supper when you are finished."  
The tiger bowed, took a net from the wall, and began fishing the petals out.  
"You three, please accompany me."

The three followed him back through the caverns, out into the open, and into another large room, filled with several tables stacked end to end, very low to the ground. Instead of chairs, there were cushions on the floor.  
"Please, I would be honored if you would sit with me. Yash and Manu should be returning from the village with the food soon."  
"Food?" Nick asked.  
"Yes, the villagers below prepare every night's meal for us."  
"And you have to haul it up three and a half thousand steps?"  
"Nick!" Judy reprimanded.  
"It is a way of life. Good training, too," the corsac responded simply.  
Soon, the rest of the monks returned from their prayer; not long after that, the food was brought, presumably by Yash and Manu, who also took a seat.

The monks said a prayer and began eating. The food appeared to be some sort of stew on rice, although Nick wasn't certain of its contents. They ate silently for a while, before Felix's phone rang. He tried ignoring it, as did the rest of the monks, but when it didn't let up, he stepped out and answered it. He returned shortly to the head monk's side, phone still in hand.  
"Geshe Bikash," he began quietly. "I hate to interrupt your meal, but do you know where the leopardess is?"  
The monk looked around.  
"Strange, she isn't here. She left with Krishna a couple of days ago, and I presumed they were only going for a small trip around the mountains; I thought they would be back by now. Allow me to check."  
He stood and exited, and Felix went after him. Nick, having already finished his meal, left to follow.

The trio walked around several buildings until they reached the huts. Bikash knocked with his sounding staff, but there was no reply. He then opened the door, but they found the room to be empty. He entered, and quickly returned with a small folded piece of paper.  
"She's not here, but she left a letter." He handed it to Felix.  
"Chief, she's not here," Felix answered into the phone. Nick could hear yelling on the other end. Felix unfolded the letter, cleared his throat, and read aloud:

"To whomever it may concern: I am safe. Three days before I wrote this letter, I met with a rabbit in the village market; a most peculiar fellow. He claimed to have recognized me, and also claims to be an old family friend. Although I was skeptical, he recalled my parents and grandparents flawlessly, as well as a few of my father's old bedtime stories. As per his advice, I have decided to travel to Honshu—"  
There was more yelling from Bogo. After it quieted down, Felix continued.  
"I have decided to travel to Honshu to meet with my living relatives. He seems to know that my parents have gone senile, and that I never actually found out about my lineage (at least, more than my immediate family). He told me that I could find them close to the districts of Edo. If it is necessary to find me before my anticipated return in one month from penning this letter, you should expect to find me either in Edo, or along the traditional monastic mountain path leading there."  
Bogo yelled again before hanging up.  
"Edo?" the corsac spoke. "This isn't good."  
"Why? Is it a dangerous city?" Nick asked.  
"No, safest in the world, but I presume you three are here to pick her up. If she's gone for a month, well…"  
"We need to go after her," Felix stated with a sense of urgency.  
"Whoa, we?" Nick asked, shocked.  
"I don't want to rope you into this, but we have to find her."  
"Before we go anywhere, I need to ask Judy, at the very least."  
"Before we do anything at all," the head monk began. "Let's first decide if it's possible to reach her."  
"The mountain path is five days travel, if I remember correctly," Felix stated.  
"But no monk would travel it in less than ten."  
"So if we set out at 4 and set up camp at 8, while she sets out at 8 and sets up camp at 4, then we should catch up to her sometime in the middle of the second day. That is, if she really left two days ago."  
"She did."  
Nick gently shook his head.  
"Fine, let's go back; I'll ask Judy."

The trio returned to the dining hall. As Nick sat back, Judy leaned towards him.  
"So, what's the news?"  
"She's not here."  
Judy's ears drooped flat.  
"Where is she?"  
"This leads me to my question: she went to Honshu; Felix is going, and he wants us to come with him."  
She gave a subtle grin as her ears picked themselves back up.  
"You think I'm one to shy away?"  
"I thought you might say that."  
"Oh come on, Nick! It's Honshu: land of sushi, cherry blossoms, and good service!"  
"Yeah, and freaky porn. Come on, carrots, can't we spend time in the mountains?"  
"Not a chance, slick."  
"Well, it's decided then," Felix began. "The monks have agreed to pack us food and supplies for the trip."  
"You got them to do that?"  
"Of course; they're the nicest mammals on the planet." He shot a wink to one of the monks across the table; in response, the monk smiled and rolled his eyes. "You two should get some sleep; we're setting out at 4 am."  
"What's with you, ungodly time-frames, and bad time sense?" Nick asked, frustrated.  
"We have to catch up to her, so we're putting in an extra eight hours. We'll be with her no later than the end of the second day."  
"How much do we have to carry?" Nick inquired skeptically.  
"Nick, we're cops, you'll handle it," Judy responded, chuckling.  
"Only the packs with food and supplies. We can leave our other belongings here."  
They excused themselves and left for their hut.

"Nick, you've done nothing but complain since we got here," Judy started.  
"Well… you know me, I don't like traveling."  
"Really?" She was shocked. "Why not?"  
"I like a good routine."  
"What was that about adventure, then?"  
He gave a nervous laugh.  
"I didn't think this is what you had in mind."  
"Well, think about it this way: you like to spend time with me, right?"  
"Of course!"  
"And I'm here…"  
"So I should enjoy being here," he accepted, defeated.  
"Exactly! Let's get some sleep, then. Full day tomorrow."

* * *

 **Mapleton  
Seventy Miles Southwest of Zootopia  
Platz Medical Tower**

"Let me get this straight," Arcturus' voice muttered. "You want me to barricade the city off from the world?"  
"Exactly," Kai replied.  
"Why?"  
"There is a possibility for an outbreak of rabies."  
"Except it was eradicated," Arcturus replied, certain of himself.  
"Apparently Regulus kept secrets from you, too. He developed a weaponized strain, airborne."  
"How is there a danger of it spreading?" The voice grew concerned.  
"He was infected, and decided to jump sixty stories and splatter himself across the pedestrians below."  
"How did he _get_ infected?"  
"I'll tell you everything, just do as I ask. The crowd has already dispersed, and I fear they might try to leave town soon. We cannot let that happen."  
"And the chopper?"  
"Rooftop of the tower. Vega and I need to get out."  
"Expect to see me on that chopper. I demand an explanation when you get on."  
"ETA?"  
"I could mobilize my troops in twenty minutes, the chopper in half an hour."  
"Remember, no one gets out. Lethal force, if necessary."  
Arcturus merely grunted.  
Kai hung up and grabbed Vega by the arm, dragging her to the elevator.

"How can you tell him to use lethal force? These are _our_ mammals!" Vega hissed.  
"No time to argue."  
"You're blowing this way out of proportion!"  
"I only want to explain once; I'll tell you everything when we get on that helicopter."  
The elevator seemed to ascend slower than before, but eventually, they reached the top floor. As they exited, Kai quickly searched for a rooftop access door. Several false leads, but eventually, he found a door behind which a staircase led up. They rushed up, before exiting into the frigid air. The tower noticeably swayed, and Vega quickly found a place in the center of the roof to sit on, while Kai approached the edge and crouched down; the small patch of blood grew while they were in transit, and had trickles that now stained nearly the entire entrance plaza.  
"What now?" Vega asked, speaking up over the howl of the wind.  
Kai didn't answer, instead gazing down at the streets below. She crawled over to him, reluctant to get to the edge.  
"What happens now?" she asked again, louder than before.  
"I heard you the first time."  
"Why didn't you answer?"  
"Because I don't want to face reality."  
"What are you talking about?" she asked, raising her voice.  
"Not every nightmare is a dream, Vega."  
"What?"  
"I have my fair share of experience with weaponized viruses. It never ends well." Kai's voice grew cold.  
"You mean this has happened before?"  
"More than once." He chuckled.  
"What was the outcome?"  
"You see," he began, deferring her question. "Some of the most dangerous viruses in the world were thought to be hemorrhagic fevers."  
"But they only retain at most a ninety percent mortality rate. Rabies is invariably fatal."  
"Yes, but think: what happens to an individual infected with rabies?" Kai spoke, mildly amused.  
"Well, for the original strains, symptoms took the form of high fever, tremors, fatigue, and inability to walk properly."  
"Then?"  
"Well, if they were conscious long enough: hydrophobia, seizures, bite reflex, and then… death."  
"Timespan?" he demanded.  
"Well… three weeks before initial onset, and then death comes very quickly."  
"And the only way it can spread is through bites."  
"Or drinking from infected water," she corrected.  
"It doesn't matter how your strains differ from the ones in my youth. The fact of the matter is, the symptoms are very recognizable."  
"What's so different about hemorrhagic fevers?" she inquired.  
"Once infected, you have anywhere from a week to three before mild flu-like symptoms show up: cough, chills, sweating, mild fever, and so on."  
"… Followed by massive organ failure and internal bleeding a week later, yes," Vega finished. "Why is it so dangerous?"  
"For the week where you only have initial symptoms, do you really expect everyone to stay at home, or to barricade themselves in? Or, do you think they will continue to go to work and go about their business, shrugging it off as a mild cold? Especially if they never traveled, and never expected a lethal virus to be dispersed over their city."  
"Oh my God…" Vega finally began to see his bigger picture.  
"You see, a person can be smart, but people are dumb. They flock together in times of panic, seeking solace in each other. Mammals are no different. Do you honestly expect them to believe that a disease that hasn't existed for almost forty years would suddenly resurface, now airborne? And now, the symptoms are different; Neal had flu-like symptoms after only three days, and the fox that bit him only showed the final classical symptoms several hours before death."  
"You need to get more antivirals, you—"  
She was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter growing in the distance.  
"Our ride is here," Kai muttered, standing; he took one last gaze down. "Look at them, blissfully unaware of their own impending doom. And it's all my fault."  
"You couldn't have known that he would jump, even I didn't think he would do that!" Vega shouted.  
"Hmph."

The helicopter touched down several minutes later; the door opened, and sitting inside, wearing his military uniform, was Arcturus. Kai lifted the small vixen onto the craft, before himself stepping in.  
"Now, I want the full explanation," Arcturus demanded.  
"You must agree not to mention it to anyone," Kai warned.  
"I'll make that decision on my own."  
"Fine."  
The helicopter took off and began flying due North.  
"So, how did he get infected?"  
"It's a long story."  
"We have twenty minutes until we get to the base."  
"Fine; one of his weaponized strains got loose via a researcher. Said researcher bit my subordinate back in Zootopia. After a long series of events, both he and Vega were dead. I collected a vial of his blood and, using it as leverage, demanded that Regulus resuscitate them both."  
"So _you_ did this?" Arcturus appeared angry.  
"I gave Regulus antivirals and other medications to get the job done. Little did I know, he only fixed up Vega; he let my subordinate die and stole the meds I gave him for mass production. I came to confront him, and… forced him to ingest the contents of the vial."  
"You IDIOT!"  
"While Vega and I were on the way down, he jumped."  
"So you didn't push him?"  
"No."  
"I always thought he had a screw loose, but damn…"  
"This virus is different than classical rabies," Kai stated.  
"How?"  
"Symptoms take around three days to manifest, and it resembles the flu or a cold."  
"Then?"  
"Hours before death, it begins to resemble classical rabies. Time to death is a week."  
Arcturus sat very quietly as he thought of the implications.  
"We have a problem then," the bear began. "I only set up barricades on the roads and railroads. Someone could still drive out through the wilderness."  
"And when they see the barricades, I have no doubt they will try," Kai responded.  
"I can have bombers ready in an hour."  
"WHAT?!" Vega shouted.  
"I understand you're upset, but think: if someone who's infected gets out, we'll never be able to contain it," Arcturus explained.  
"We could just get more medicine from Procyon, we could—"  
"My stockpile isn't nearly big enough," Kai began. "There are at least a million mammals down there, and I won't know who's sick with the strain or with some other miscellaneous illness until it's already too late."  
"We could manufacture some, I'm sure the labs are—"  
"It's out of the question," Arcturus barked. "If the world found out that rabies still existed, and that we had weaponized it, we would lose all authority."  
"Procyon, you can't let him—"  
"Remember when you asked me about the outcome?" Kai interrupted. "Brazillian hemorrhagic fever wiped out nearly the entire country before we managed to contain it. Mongolian hemorrhagic fever wiped out Ulaanbaatar before we figured out what the problem even was. The only time we saved a country was when we found out that terrorists had released a weaponized strain of the Junin virus as they did it; we destroyed the city preemptively."  
"Why?!" she cried out.  
"You're thinking about it wrong. You're trying to maximize lives saved; we're trying to minimize lives lost."  
"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?!"  
"In your theory, you cannot accept loss, and when you try to employ tactics to save everyone, you end up spreading the virus. In our theory, we accept that lives will be lost, and we limit how many extraneous deaths there will be," Kai spoke.  
"By destroying the virus before it has a chance to spread," Arcturus followed up.  
"Precisely. Your bombers will not be needed," Kai spoke. "Get us to the base quickly."  
"What, you have another plan?"  
"Inevitably, when someone sees military bombers flying in, word will get out that this is a conspiracy. That, and firebombs take a long time to kill."  
"So you do have another plan. Let's hear it, then."  
"I'll take care of it. Just get us to the base, power down all of your systems, and shield anything flammable with reflective tarp."  
"You think we'll be in danger forty miles from the city?"  
"Yes."  
"What's the chance that someone will get out of this?"  
"Zero."  
"Why so certain?"  
"Nothing survives a thermonuclear explosion at hypocenter. At forty miles, we'll have to be indoors to avoid radiation burns."  
"A lot of faith you put into this bomb. Fine, get it done. We're almost at the base anyways."

Several minutes later, they touched down. Kai held Vega close as he exited and made for an encampment, while Arcturus began barking orders to everyone that could hear.  
"Why?" Vega muttered quietly.  
"I'm sorry," Kai answered. "This is all my fault."  
"Yes," she answered, beginning to shed tears. "It is."  
He turned her loose and drew the remote from his coat. The signal was weak, but present. He punched in launch instructions, as well as missile discard instructions; he didn't want the discarded missile casing to fall into anyone's hands, so he programmed it to destroy itself once the warhead released. An indicator popped up:

CONFIRM LAUNCH?  
WARNING! DANGER CLOSE!  
Y/N

"Arcturus, ten minutes!" he shouted. The bear nodded, before shouting further instructions. His finger hovered over the display for a long time.  
 _You know you have to_.  
He turned his head slightly; a mirage stood there.  
"I don't want to," he whispered. "Surely there's another way?"  
 _No. Remember_ _Ulaanbaatar_?  
Kai sighed, before pressing down on the 'Y'.  
"Radio the barricades," Kai yelled. "Tell them to drive as far as they can, as fast as they can."  
Again, Arcturus nodded, before proceeding to call an order on his radio. Everyone began to make haste into the bunker, brushing past him. Arcturus was the last, and he paused by the man's side.  
"Bunker's waiting. If it's as bad as you say it is, you should hurry."  
"I'll be right there," Kai replied. The grizzly shook his head, and took shelter.

The missile gave off no vapor trail, but he knew where it was coming from; he could see the very slight glint of the sunlight reflecting off of its chassis. As the stages separated, the booster fell off and exploded, but not before deploying countermeasures; unnecessary now, but a remnant of its design long ago. He watched as the single warhead descended upon the city.  
 _What the hell are you doing, Garrett? Take shelter._  
He ignored the advice, watching as it began to glow from reentry.  
 _Thirty miles altitude, you have twenty seconds!_  
He stood a little longer, before turning his back and descending the staircase into the shelter. Seconds after he cleared the stairs, he could see the light tracing its way down after him, he could feel its heat on his back. He continued down the hallway; the lights flickered as he went, before becoming stable again.

"Well?" Arcturus asked, as he reconvened.  
"It's done," Kai answered after a while, voice laden with remorse.  
"How long until it's safe?"  
"Theoretically now, but be ready for earthquakes and a very slight shockwave in a few minutes. Get me a ride to the lodge."  
They began the walk back up.  
"Alright, I decided that I won't tell anyone what happened."  
"Really?"  
"This was necessary, Procyon, even I understand that. You couldn't have anticipated his actions. You have some guilt in this, but it all comes down to him."  
"Why so friendly?" They exited into the open air; it was noticeably warmer, and the building's olive drab paint coat was bubbling and peeling from the surface. "You know I had an enormous role in this."  
"I did some thinking. If the Court found out how much you were involved, they would try to keep you locked up, which you would obviously never agree to."  
"Never again," Kai agreed.  
"Which means the only option is war." Arcturus turned to the rising mushroom cloud, and ran a claw across the ruined surface of the bunker. "I already know that we don't have the power to win, and it would be pointless to try; you would just take the whole world with you. So, I'll tell the Court that we prevented an outbreak, and that Regulus' actions and behavior nearly cost us everything."  
"Altair will know that I had a hand in this."  
"He's got a brain the size of a walnut, he'll never see the bigger picture. How about this: you continue to work _with_ us, and I'll keep him off of your back."  
"We have a deal. What will we tell the public?"  
"We'll tell them it was a meteor; we deployed troops to help evacuate, but nothing came of it."  
Kai chuckled.  
"You have this all figured out, huh?"  
The bear smiled.  
"We'll have faked radar readings in half an hour. Let's see about getting you a bird to the lodge."  
"You still have a working helicopter?"  
"We have a couple in the hangar. We should be alright if you take off now."  
"Where's Vega?"  
"She's Regulus, now," Arcturus responded gruffly. "As is tradition."  
"I'll wait for the Court to make it official."

A couple of soldiers fetched the vixen, and they, along with Arcturus, boarded the helicopter, quickly taking off for the city. She was visibly upset, but Kai didn't dare speak. Along the way, Arcturus was continuously calling and messaging various individuals. They reached the lodge in ten minutes, and the trio exited.  
"Alright; I've already contacted several members, everyone should be at tonight's meeting. Vega—er, Regulus, come with me."  
They left, leaving the man alone in the hall. He shambled towards his abode, unlocked the door, and entered. He was met by frigid air, and by Sirius curled up on his bed. Upon a closer inspection, the window was wide open.  
"You're back," Sirius muttered, opening an eye.  
"Why is the window open?"  
"I don't know how you can live with the temperature cranked up so high. I cracked the window a bit so it would be more tolerable."  
"Cracked a bit? It's wide open!"  
"Meh."  
Kai shook his head and hung up his coat in the closet.  
"So," Sirius began. "I didn't eat any jerky."  
Kai grabbed the bag and threw it to the dog.  
"Knock yourself out."  
"You promised you would scratch me if I didn't eat."  
"Not right now." He picked the wolf up and gently set him on the floor, before sitting on the edge of the bed.  
"Alright, what's wrong?"  
"I just killed a million mammals."  
"You what?" Sirius asked incredulously.  
"I just bombed a million mammals into ashes."  
"Was that the earthquake, then? I mean… that's sad and all, but you're the great General Kai. How is that any different from the forty some million that you killed in your youth?"  
"They weren't the enemy."  
Sirius let out a sad hum, before jumping back up on the bed and lying across Kai's lap.  
"Sirius…"  
"You promised."  
Kai smiled weakly.  
"You're finally getting the hang of it."

He took off his gauntlets, and began absentmindedly running his fingers through his companion's fur.  
"So, tell me more," Sirius moaned.  
"Only if you stop talking like that."  
"Mhm."  
"I infected Regulus with his own strain of rabies, so I could have some form of revenge. I didn't anticipate he would jump from the roof and splatter himself across the pedestrians below. I can't believe I didn't bother thinking of every alternative."  
"Well, you know what they say about revenge: it proves its own executioner."  
"I couldn't let it go, so I indirectly damned an entire city of bystanders. Innocents."  
"But you stopped the spread of disease, right?"  
"I almost started it to begin with."  
"Look, Procyon…" Sirius rotated such that he was lying on his back. "We all make mistakes sometimes. They don't become errors until we refuse to fix them. You fixed your mistake and saved the world from an incurable disease."  
"I suppose you're right. I don't know what's wrong, I shouldn't be feeling guilty like this."  
"Happens to the best of us," Sirius joked.  
"No, I was made not to feel guilt, ever."  
"Maybe they didn't make you right. Good thing, too; I wouldn't want a remorseless killing machine holding me like this."  
They sat, man petting wolf, for a while.  
"Sirius, what time is it?"  
"Oh, around noon. Why?"  
"So I committed genocide and avenged the dead, all before lunch." He shook his head, letting loose a remorseful chuckle. "I need to see Bogo; my subordinates should be at the monastery by now."  
"Aww, don't leave me."  
"Help yourself to the rest of the bag while I'm gone."  
"Get out of here, then."  
Kai pushed Sirius onto the floor and quickly dressed, before exiting towards the city.

His transit was mostly uneventful; he passed a few frantic Court members while still in the lodge, and avoided the attention of most common folk by staying on the rooftops while in the city. Eventually, he reached the downtown precinct, making his way to Bogo's office. He knocked and entered, prompting a scowl from the buffalo.  
"What are you doing here? I'm very busy dealing with the public about the earthquake and some strange lights."  
"Felix and company should be at the monastery by now."  
"Really? I haven't heard anything from them yet."  
"Call, then."  
Bogo picked up the desk phone, before pausing.  
"What, no precautions like last time?"  
"I don't think Savage will be watching me anymore."  
Bogo rolled his eyes before dialing a number. After a lengthy amount of time, it was answered.  
"Shingis?… Are you at the monastery?… Alright, good. Is Leora there?"  
There was a long pause in conversation; after seeing Kai's stare, Bogo elaborated that 'he's checking'. Several minutes later, his expression changed to one of extreme anger.  
"What do you _mean_ she's not there? Where did she go?!… Honshu? Are you shitting me?! Why?!… Family? She doesn't have family in Honshu! In Edo no less!"  
"At least none that she told you of," Kai corrected.  
"Zip it!" he hissed. "Shingis, find out more. Call back when you do, no later than tomorrow." He slammed the receiver into the cradle.  
"Honshu?" Kai asked. "Would I be correct in presuming it is the largest island east of the mainland?"  
"Yes. Why would she leave? For family, no less…"  
"We need to find her," Kai reminded.  
"We have no leads. If she left more than a day ago, she could be anywhere by now!" Bogo slammed his palm onto the surface of his desk in rage, and sat deep in thought. "Where could she be, now…"  
"I'm going to kill that rabbit."  
"Hold on, there is still one more lead we could check out."  
"That is?"  
"Her parents. They could tell us about her entire extended family."  
"They're senile!"  
"It's the only shot we have. They're at the city asylum. You're coming along."  
"Finally, you're being reasonable."  
"No, I just don't want you ruining my office again while I'm gone." Bogo called the front desk regarding addressing the public, and fetched a thick coat from the hook.

They exited, quickly making their way to the train stop. The asylum was a lengthy ride away, and was nested in the far corner of Tundratown, near an exhaust vent, perhaps to limit any notion of escape. They walked through a fierce blizzard before reaching the entrance. As they walked in, a bell on the door rang; inside, a group of several doctors were conversing with a concierge, and upon hearing the bell, they turned to look.  
"Ah, Chief Bogo and… the ambassador! How are you two today?" one of the doctors, a tanuki, spoke up.  
"Bogo, see about getting us in. Doctor, may I speak with you in private?" Kai asked, walking into the corner and motioning for the mammal to follow. They walked into the far corner and huddled close. "Alcor, I don't resemble the ambassador."  
"I'm sorry, but I can't call you Procyon in this company!" he hissed back.  
"Feign ignorance, then."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I'm here to see Leora's parents."  
His eyes narrowed.  
"Why?"  
"I wanted to ask them a few questions."  
"They have dementia, you won't easily get any answers."  
"That's fine."  
The tanuki covered his eyes with his paws and let out a strained sigh.  
"What's Bogo doing here, then?"  
"Same thing."  
"I'm going to warn you right now: don't push the conversation."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai raised a brow.  
"You'll understand. See to it that Chief Bogo doesn't."  
He walked over to the desk, exchanged a few words with the concierge, and walked over to the door.  
"Alright, this way," he spoke.  
The door buzzed open, and they entered.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd like to give an enormous thanks to Bosstwin for making coverart for the story. I've been in need of it for 33 chapters, and I finally have it now! I don't think words can sufficiently describe my gratitude.**

 **Behold the anguish of a tortured man. All will be explained in due time, so if you're wondering why he feels guilty, it'll be explained eventually. As a note, the next chapter will probably be without Nick and Company. I still have some development to do, and they're supposed to be asleep, so I don't want the story to desynchronize. On another note, if you have any questions about the story, especially about things that I haven't done a good job explaining, or just anything at all, feel free to ask away and I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities.**

 **The chapter title ideally has two meanings. The first is obvious: the hypocenter of a nuclear explosion is the ground zero. The second definition of 'ground zero' is the starting point of something; in this case, a very large and intricate series of events. I've got everything planned out for the next five or six chapters, and I hope it is as exciting to read as it will be to write.**

 **I've also reached 300 pages of standard Arial 10-point font, excluding authors notes (325 with author's notes) and this chapter (~310?). I'm well on my way to a full novel, huh?**

 **Edit: At a reviewer's suggestion, I cleaned up the dialogue between Vega and Kai, so it would be easier to tell who was speaking when.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #34: France has the most time zones at 12, but Russia has the most contiguous time zones at 9.**


	35. Chapter XXXI: Bedlam

As they walked through the labyrinth-like halls of the asylum, hints of twisted echoes bounced off of the walls. The atmosphere was cold and dark, and the walls had exposed sections of rusted pipe that, although the doctor assured were from active construction projects, did not appear to be as such. The further they delved into the confines of the building, a voice became more louder and more pronounced: it was screaming.  
"What _is_ that, doctor?" Bogo asked.  
"A particularly troubled patient, I'm afraid," the tanuki responded. "Like the leopard and leopardess, she, too, suffers from dementia. For the past two years she's been here, she never sat silent. She never stays calm, and when she shouts, she talks about former love; sad, really. We usually keep her minimally sedated, and her next dose is soon."  
As if on cue, the shouting began to die down.  
"A place like this," Bogo muttered, "I can't imagine being calm."  
"So, where are her parents?" Kai asked, after what seemed like several minutes of aimless walking.  
"Just up ahead."

At the end of the hall, the doctor pulled out a set of keys and unlocked a door. He opened it, and they peered in. The inside was lavishly decorated, with matching furniture and an expensive throw rug; everything was coated with a thick layer of dust, as if it wasn't cleaned in years. Sitting on the sofa, holding hands and staring at a dusty television screen that was turned off, were two elderly leopards. Both had very large swatches of graying fur, although they didn't look much older than fifty. Both also appeared to have small amounts of dirt, grime, and grease smudged about them. They didn't notice the visitors, so the doctor knocked firmly on the door. They turned to look, and stood to greet their guests.  
"Hello," Bogo spoke, holding out his hoof. The male leopard grabbed it with both paws and bowed low, giving a firm, but slight, shake.  
"Welcome! We didn't expect any visitors today." He looked down to the tanuki. "Ah, I see you've brought Doctor Viverin with you."  
"He brought us, actually. May we ask you a few questions?"  
Both leopards laughed.  
"He? He can't bring anyone, look how short he is!"  
Bogo and Kai looked down to the tanuki, who now wore an annoyed expression on his face.  
"They do this to spite me, I swear," he muttered.  
"But of course, come in."

Everyone entered, and the door was closed.  
"I am Taro, and this is my wife, Arina."  
"A pleasure," Arina spoke, bowing her head slightly.  
"If I may ask," Bogo began, "How are your living conditions? Something here seems wrong."  
"Well," Arina replied, "I feel like no matter how much I dust, I can't seem to get rid of any. The water's cold, but it's not usually a problem."  
"Oh, the water!" Taro exclaimed. "That reminds me, I need to put in a complaint about the water being rusty."  
"How long has it been that way?" Bogo inquired.  
"I... can't remember, to be honest, but my memory isn't exactly the greatest."  
A quick look in the sink revealed that it was very red from long time exposure from rust. Bogo pulled the doctor aside.  
"This is deplorable, Doctor."  
"They are responsible for their own cleaning-"  
"They can't clean! They've got severe dementia, they can barely remember to complain about their water being non-potable!"  
"We have caretakers come in every month to check up-"  
"Month?! That's outrageously far and few! I've seen lesser patients garner weekly attention. Why would you bother taking care of patients if you don't actually take care of them?"  
"... Very well," the doctor responded apprehensively. "I'll talk to maintenance when we're done, and I'll make sure they get attention on a more regular basis."  
"So," Taro announced. "What brings you to our humble abode?"  
"What can you tell us about your family?" Kai asked hastily, before anyone else could speak. The doctor shot a glare at him.  
"Well, there's us. Other than that, what would you like to know?" Taro replied.  
"What about your daughter?" Bogo asked.  
"We have a daughter?" Taro responded. He and Arina exchanged a few words, and suddenly became worried. "Oh no, it's her sixteenth tomorrow, isn't it? We forgot to get her anything!"  
"You got her a kimono; she loved it," Kai quickly lied.  
They both breathed a sigh of relief.  
"It's just that…" Taro began.  
"Our memory isn't as good as it used to be," Arina finished.  
"Do you have any extended family in Honshu?" Bogo questioned.  
"Honshu, Honshu… It's a big place, I'm not sure."  
"Tell us about your lineage," Kai finally asked.  
Taro looked to the tanuki.  
"Is something wrong?" Bogo inquired.  
"The doctor doesn't like my stories."  
"He won't hurt you."  
"Well, if you insist," Taro spoke, standing and heading to the small kitchen. "Tea?"  
"No, thank you," Kai replied.  
"Very well. We immigrated when I was around twenty-two, but I presume you want to know before that."  
"Yes."  
"Long ago, there was an ancient land known only as Japan," Taro began, in a mystical storytelling fashion.  
Kai immediately shifted his glance to the doctor, who now held his breath.  
"And at its throne an emperor."  
"Who was this emperor?" Bogo asked.  
"I don't know his name," Taro admitted. " _Kokuo heika_ is all my father knew him as, and his father before him."  
"That literally means 'his majesty'," Kai interjected.  
"Tells you something about him, no?"  
"I'll presume the last one, then."  
"Legend has it that he kept an imperial menagerie. Long ago, it is said that mammals could not speak; they were silent. This menagerie was no exception. However, tasked with keeping everything in order was Doraemon, the emperor's personal companion. Supposedly, he was given the gift of speech directly from the heavens; he was the first one that could talk!"  
"If mammals couldn't talk, who was this emperor?" Bogo asked, suspicious.  
"I… don't know."  
"This story seems a little farfetched," Kai stated. "I saw Doraemon, but he never seemed like anything more than a common pet."  
"You met him?! How old would that make you?! Did you meet the emperor, too?"  
"We were… acquainted. I viewed the menagerie once or twice, but it never caught my eye."  
"A living legend! Arina, did you hear him?"  
"I did!" she beamed back.  
"Well," Taro continued, "The emperor loved his menagerie nearly as much as he loved Doraemon. However, conflict came to his land, and if in order to save them, he set them all free."  
"Conflict?" Bogo inquired.  
"His city was sacked," Kai stated.  
"And you know this, how?"  
"I sacked it."  
"Really?" Arina asked, saddened.  
"Twice, actually, but he never held it against me. Please, continue with the story.  
Bogo rolled his eyes, giving an expression reminiscent of 'I'm in Crazytown'.  
"Doraemon led them through the bamboo forests to safety and taught them speech," Taro continued. "My father was told by his father, and he by his father before him, that we are directly descended from Doraemon. We came from the remnants of Japan, now called Honshu, years ago, before Leora was born. However, seeing how life spreads far and wide, it is possible that every leopard that talks is indirectly descended from him."  
"Tall tales. I should have known," Bogo muttered, heading for the door.  
"Actually, Bogo," Kai spoke up. "I believe I can find out where she might be headed."  
"How?" inquired the chief.  
"Give me a few minutes more."  
"Fine."  
"Alright, Taro, where are your closest relatives?"  
"Well, there's Arina…" He glanced at her and she smiled. "Our parents died not long ago…"  
"Brothers, sisters?"  
"No."  
"Let my try a different approach: suppose your daughter went to Japan. Where would she go?"  
"We have a daughter?"  
Kai was puzzled.  
"How old are you?" he finally asked.  
"Fifty-four, Arina is fifty-three."  
"Viverin, how old are they?"  
"He answered accurately," the tanuki responded. "Why does it matter?"  
"Leora is twenty-eight. They think she's sixteen. That means they lost their cognitive functions at forty-one."  
"And?"  
"Dementia doesn't set in at forty-one."  
"Early-onset dementia can."

Kai sighed, and reconvened with Bogo.  
"Well, Bogo, I guess Edo's our best shot."  
"It's a huge city!"  
"I'm a capable individual."  
"Didn't you say you couldn't leave?"  
"Yes, Jack Savage threatened to kill my squad if I did. Which is precisely why I want you to gather the three remaining members and—"  
"Three?"  
"Neal is dead; killed by rabies."  
"I refuse to believe it."  
"He is avenged, I made sure of it. Listen carefully: gather the three remaining members: Rufus, Bjorn, and Prance. Take them to the nearby military base."  
"Why?"  
"His jurisdiction can't extend that far. They'll be safe there."  
"How are you so certain?"  
"I'm friends with the commander of the base. He promised to keep Savage off of my back as long as I fulfilled an obligation."  
"Dare I ask?"  
"No."  
"How do you plan on getting there?"  
"I'm sure General Paddington can spare me a military cargo plane."  
"You seem to have this all figured out." Bogo shuffled through the door. "Get her back. For their sake."  
"Oh, and Bogo?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Don't delay. I reckon you have maybe an hour before Savage decides he wants to start killing."  
"Why?"  
"Need to know basis."  
"I'm sure I need to know."  
"I'll explain it all when I bring Leora back."  
The buffalo gave an annoyed sigh.  
"I'll be expecting you. Oh, and Doctor?"  
"Yes, Chief?" the tanuki replied.  
"I will personally be checking up on them in a couple of days. If you don't get that sty in proper shape, you can expect legal action."  
Bogo exited. As soon as the door closed, the tanuki exploded.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Procyon?!" Viverin hissed.  
"Asking questions."  
"I warned you _not_ to push the conversation!"  
"But really, how do they know about Japan?"  
"We… don't know. We only found out after they were admitted to the facility."  
Kai rolled his eyes, and approached Taro.  
"It was a pleasure speaking to you," Kai stated.  
He turned to leave, but Taro spoke up.  
"It's bugging me: I can't seem to remember your name."  
"I never said it."  
Taro gave a sigh of relief.  
"So I'm not totally crazy, then."

Kai and Viverin exited.  
"So, any progress on curing them?"  
"It's—they—you—" He continued stuttering, before finally stringing together a coherent answer. "You can't cure dementia."  
"Show me an MRI and lab tests when I get back; I'll take a stab at it."  
As they began walking back, the prior shouting returned.  
"Oh, dear," the tanuki muttered.  
"Two years; you said this has been going on for two years?" Kai tried to confirm.  
"Thereabout."  
"Take me to see her."  
The tanuki stopped in his tracks.  
"Something wrong, Alcor?"  
"… No, nothing at all."

They changed directions and began walking deeper into the complex. The voice became louder, indicating their proximity. Eventually, they stopped before another door.  
"Well, here we are," the tanuki stated.  
"You seem to have forgotten to open the door."  
"Believe me, you don't want to see her."  
Kai retrieved his lockpick and forced the door open. He stepped in, ignoring the doctor's protests, and found a wolf strapped in to a bed; she was muzzled and hooked up to numerous machines, and had an IV line.  
"No, it's you!" shrieked the patient. "Get away from me, freak!"  
"How long did you say she was here, Alcor?" Kai asked.  
"T-two months," he stammered.  
"How strange, I thought you said two years not five minutes ago. I recognize her as one of Altair's agents. In fact, I ran into her just yesterday. _Outside_ of this facility."  
"I—I…" the tanuki trailed off.  
"You, wolf. What have they done to you?"  
"NO!" she shrieked.  
"Calm down," Kai demanded.  
She stopped yelling and struggling, but continued staring at him and breathing heavily.  
"That's better," Kai stated. "Now, what did they do to you?"  
"This is _your_ fault!" she spat at him.  
"What happened?"  
"Savage happened!"  
"Stop prying," Alcor commanded.  
"Elaborate, please," Kai pressed, ignoring the doctor.  
"When I awoke, I was locked up," the wolf began. "Savage asked if I could be trusted, and I of course answered yes. He told me everything. What _you_ are."  
"And why are you here?"  
"ENOUGH!" Alcor shouted. Kai grabbed his jaws and held them shut.  
"Because I'm disposable," the wolf stated. "They're filling me with drugs; I can barely remember anything before yesterday. He said he loved me…"  
"Why are they drugging you? Savage wanted to induct you."  
"Savage wants me to forget."  
"Forget what?"  
"He confessed his love for me. It was all a lie," she growled. "He lulled me into a sense of safety!"  
She began violently struggling against her restraints, before eventually falling still.  
"And?" Kai asked.  
"We spent time together. After he had me thoroughly drunk, he apologized and jabbed a needle into my thigh."  
Alcor was struggling against Kai's grip; he threw the tanuki to the floor.  
"Dementia, eh, Alcor?" Kai shouted.  
"It's not what you think!" he responded.  
"I suppose Leora's parents don't really have it, either?!"  
"It's—it's…" He trailed off. Kai seized him by the lapel and pinned him against the wall.  
"SPEAK!"  
"Twelve years ago, the Court grew wary of them mentioning their stories to the general public!" he stammered. "Regulus offered some viral strain that would cause atrophy of brain tissue, promised that it would be indistinguishable from dementia. He infected them, and two weeks later, began treating them."  
"They remember everything, except their daughter!"  
"Well, as promised, they forgot everything that mattered," he stammered. Kai slammed him into the wall. "B-but it worked, no one will think they're telling anything but fairy-tales!"  
"You ruined their lives, their daughter's life! What they're doing can hardly be called living, now!"  
"The Court was protecting the interests of all mammals! I wasn't a part of it, then, I swear!"  
"What with her?" Kai pointed to the wolf.  
"It's the same strain, along with acute amnesiacs for the short term. Admittedly she's very resistant to the short-term drugs."  
Kai threw the doctor to the ground and fished out a cylinder from his vest.  
"Good thing I saved some antivirals, eh?"  
"What, are you mad?! Why are you saving her, she's a liability!"  
"This is a horrible way to die! Why didn't Savage just kill her?!"  
"He couldn't bear to! He asked me if I could keep her here; I didn't want to kill her, either, so I agreed!"  
"I ought to drug you and lock you up!" Kai roared.  
The tanuki cowered, covering his head with his paws and curling into a ball. Kai merely shook his head and turned his attention to the wolf, injecting the antivirals.  
"Can you fly a jet?" he asked of her.  
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.  
"Can you fly a plane?" he repeated, this time with more urgency.  
"Yes, of course."  
"Good." He cut her restraints and unplugged the wires tying her to the various machines.  
"Really, though. Why _are_ you doing this?" she reiterated, rubbing her wrists.  
"Because Savage and I had a deal, and he reneged."  
"That sounds like revenge. I like the sound of revenge," she replied, standing and stretching, but quickly losing her balance; Kai caught her and supported her weight.  
"Now, Alcor," Kai spoke.  
"What?!" the frightened mammal squeaked.  
"I expect this to remain between us; not a word at tonight's meeting."  
"F-fine!"  
"Get up. You're walking us out."  
"Why me?"  
"I don't feel like getting stopped by security."  
The tanuki gave another squeak, but stood, leading them out.

They reached the lobby, and although everyone stared at Kai and the wolf on the way out, they didn't stop them. The duo exited into the blizzard, Alcor remaining behind.  
"It's freezing!" the wolf shouted over the winds.  
"Hmm? Why's that?" Kai asked.  
"I'm not wearing anything but a gown, you dolt!"  
"You have fur, you'll live."  
She gave a sigh of extreme frustration.

Kai pulled out his phone and dialed Arcturus, making his way to the edge of town; after several rings, the bear picked up.  
"What is it?"  
"Arcturus, this is Procyon."  
"What are you calling about?"  
"I need to ask several favors of you."  
"I imagine this has something to do with Altair?"  
"Yes. Police Chief Bogo will be arriving at the military base shortly; I want you to take the three that he has with him and keep them safe."  
"Consider it done."  
"I'll be showing up soon, too; with a guest, in fact."  
"Who?"  
"Savage's would-be protege."  
"Are you… are you mad?"  
"Yes. She's going to be my pilot."  
"Pilot for what?"  
"The last thing I need is a cargo plane. I'm flying to Sagarmatha after the meeting."  
Silence on the other end.  
"Are you still there, Arcturus?"  
"Yes, fine. I'll supply you a plane. You're really going to piss off that rabbit, you know that?"  
"Good. His meddling has cost me my sniper; my friend. He cannot be trusted, and I won't even bother trying anymore. I'm getting my leopardess back, and pissing Savage off is just the icing on the cake."  
"I'll give you this: you've got guts; I forgot what it was like to be so young and rash."  
"I'm older than you." Kai hung up.  
"Where're we headed?" the wolf asked, shivering.  
"The military base."  
"Why?"  
"You're getting suited up to fly a plane."  
"I can barely walk!"  
"I'll take care of it until you're recuperated."

They walked over to a nearby street, and Kai hotwired an appropriately sized car. The drive to the base was uneventful, but they were nearly arrested when they showed up. A phone call to Arcturus cleared everything up.  
"Get her into a flight suit," he ordered. They nodded and saluted. "And if I find out you did anything but, I will personally see to it that it's the last thing you do."  
They chuckled and waved him off.

He returned to the lodge, entering as quietly as he could. The meeting was due to start in several hours, and he traveled as inconspicuously as he could, passing frantic mammals left and right. Eventually, he made it to his room; inside, he found Altair talking to Sirius and Vega.  
"Jack, what did I say about coming into my room unannounced?" Kai began.  
"You have no right to complain; not after what you did today!" the rabbit shouted.  
"You will not shout at me," the man commanded.  
"I have a duty to keep the nation safe, and you directly—Ahh!" He was interrupted by the man, who grabbed him by the ears and held him aloft, legs dangling. He raised the rabbit to eye level.  
"Out."  
"No! Release me, now! Or else!"  
Kai pinned him against the wall, grabbed the stapler from his desk, and fastened the rabbit by his ears with several staples. Altair's shrieks were soon quieted when he found himself at the barrel end of a rifle.  
"That's better," Kai spoke, stowing the rifle. "Now, be quiet. I planned on reading."  
"Get me down!"  
"Jack, you know what I did today?"  
"You killed a million, two-hundred thousand mammals!" Savage yelled.  
"I visited the asylum."  
"YOU WHAT?!"  
"I found the wolf that you so carelessly discarded. What did you tell her? That you two would be together forever? Was that before or after you darted her?"  
"You insolent!—"  
"She works for me, now. Might I add, your days of giving mammals 'dementia' are over."  
"I only do what I do to protect the world!"  
"Is that why you fucked the wolf? To protect the world?"  
"I DIDN'T! Ask her yourself if you don't believe me!" Savage roared in anger.  
"Say, that reminds me," Kai began anew, after noticing Vega's expression. "It just occurred to me that I never told Regulus what the medications did."  
"They're antivirals, he would figure it out," the rabbit spoke through gritted teeth.  
"But you see, most drugs are only for specific purposes. Melarsoprol is used for treating rhodesiense African trypanosomiasis, and nothing else. He would have no reason to believe what I gave him could be used for anything other than rabies, and drugs made specifically for an eradicated disease are worth less than dirt except in the one specific situation that we were in."  
"So?!"  
"So, there's one person—mammal, rather—that I did tell. A rabbit that looks just… like… you."  
Vega's expression grew to one of shock and horror.  
"It's all _your_ fault!" she shouted.  
"What are you talking about? It's him!" Savage retorted.  
"You told my father to withhold the drugs from Neal!"  
"It was for the benefit of society, I—" He couldn't finish the statement, as he caught her fist to his face.  
"How _could_ you?!"  
"Let's everyone just take a step back and calm down," Sirius stated.  
"Shut up, Ian," Vega hissed. He held his hands up in defeat and sat back down. She pressed a claw into Savage's forehead and drew in close, her eyes mere inches from his. "I have _nothing_ now, Altair. NOTHING!"  
"And you know who to blame." Savage shifted his gaze to the man.  
"My father let rabies escape confinement, but you convinced him to deny treatment. Don't finagle your way out of this."  
"What are you going to do? Kill me?"  
"It's a good start," she retorted coldly.  
"No," Kai stated. "It'll only cause problems."  
The rabbit chuckled; Vega began to pull away.  
"Exactly, that's what I thought," Altair muttered.  
She quickly dragged her claw across his face, leaving a long mark from brow to chin that bled profusely; next, she grabbed him by the legs and tore him away from the wall, ripping the staples from his ears. As he fell to the floor, she kicked him in the ribs.  
"Get out," she seethed. "If I see you again, I'll make sure you won't survive the encounter."  
"The rest of the Court will hear about this. Mark my words."  
"I'll just tell them about the wolf, and your involvement in the spread of the disease," Kai retorted.  
Savage could only lay and look angry.  
"Out," Kai demanded. The rabbit didn't move. The man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him out the open window.  
"Holy hell, what did you do that for?!" Sirius shouted. "It's four stories!"  
"He's a rabbit, and there's a snowbank. He'll live."  
"I'll go make sure he's alright, then; just in case," Sirius volunteered, exiting the room.

Vega sat in a chair, dejected.  
"'And a mammal's foes shall be they of her own household'," she muttered, dejected. "I have nothing left."  
"You got a promotion. You can fix the regulations that led to Neal's death."  
"I just want to lie down and die."  
"Don't we all."  
She gave a sad hum of agreement.  
"Say, what was Altair trying to ask you?" Kai inquired.  
"He wanted to know all about your involvement in Mapleton."  
"Did you tell him anything?"  
"No. He actually got here around two minutes before you did."  
"Good. If he has no evidence, maybe the Court will dismiss him."  
"What am I going to do?" she asked.  
"About what?"  
"With my life. I don't know how to run the BDC; I don't know how I can live without Neal; I don't know how—"  
"How about this," Kai began, crouching down. "I'll get back from Sagarmatha, and I'll help you get everything in order. Until then, take it easy."  
"The world doesn't stop revolving just because you aren't here. Besides, I probably don't have anything to give you."  
"No fee," Kai spoke. "One friend to another."  
"Are we friends?" she asked, uncertain.  
"I should hope so. We both hate the rabbit, right?"  
"Yes."  
"And we both liked Neal, right?"  
"Of course!"  
"Then I think we are."  
She thought for a while.  
"Alright. I could use a vacation, anyways. I never had time to mourn."  
"Atta girl." He patted her on the back, and stood to exit.

"If you don't mind me asking," she interrupted, "What do you have against Altair?"  
"He threatened my subordinates. We then came to the agreement that if he kept them safe, I would not do anything against the Court. He let Neal die, and still consistently threatens the others, all the while thinking that I would play the role of his puppet."  
She smiled.  
"And he finally pissed you off?"  
"What are you talking about?" He chuckled. "I've been holding unspeakable amounts of rage in since the moment he first threatened them. You haven't even seen the tip of this iceberg."  
"So stapling his ears…"  
"To be fair, I did warn him not to come into this room unannounced."  
"It that wasn't your 'rage', then what is?"  
"Rage… is showing no quarter to the village that fired a single cobalt fragmentation shell after the war was over."  
"No quarter?" she inquired.  
"Crucifying the men, ravaging and then burning the women at the stake, and burying their children alive."  
"What did they do to deserve it?" she asked in horror.  
"That shell killed my friend and maimed my…" he paused, at a loss for words; his eyes appeared to stare through her. "In any case, they all refused to divulge who did it."  
"But most of them were innocent."  
"All's fair in love and war."  
"You just said the war was over!"  
"It doesn't matter. It never mattered. Savage is lucky that Neal wasn't as close to me as Vitya was."  
"Who?"  
"An old friend of mine. We always stuck together, and never let any petty politics get between us."  
"Was the pay good?"  
"No."  
"If you didn't fight for politics, and you didn't fight for money, then what did you fight for?"  
"For the sake of fighting. Humans have a very self-destructive nature, and what we held in common in that regard kept us together."  
She paused for a while.  
"You must have been really close, huh?" she asked.  
Kai smiled.  
"We spent a little over fifty years together. Everywhere I went, he followed."  
"Was he younger?"  
"No, slightly older. He conceded to my leadership skills, but I think he was hiding something."  
"Why so suspicious?"  
"He scored a ninety-seven on leadership and decision making. At least sixty points above average."  
"What was it out of?"  
"A hundred."  
"And you?"  
"Ninety-nine; our last match was against each other, and he instantly yielded before we even began." Kai chuckled. "I think he was cheating the test so he could get placed with me, perhaps to get to know me. I think he was far smarter than anyone else thought to believe."  
"I assume the fragmentation shell killed him, but who else did it hit? You never mentioned their name."  
Kai's expression shifted to one of sorrow.  
"Ana."  
Vega gasped.  
"She was the one, wasn't she?"  
The man sat, eyes closed and silent, contemplating.  
"I'll tell you later, kid. Come on, the meeting's going to start soon."

* * *

Kai sat alone in his section, and his eyes darted around from within his Court mask; he found Arcturus sitting at the far end of the chambers. Next to the bear was presumably Altair, given the rabbit's mask and height, and the fact that he held his ears down and inside of his hood; keeping a hood up was a rarity amongst the members of the court. Despite the fact that every robe had one, it wasn't often the most comfortable choice, especially for larger mammals, or mammals with non-floppy ears. Even then, Altair was the only rabbit that regularly wore his hood. Of course, the assumption that the grizzly would sit next to the rabbit to keep a closer eye on him was a good one.

Currently, the stage was occupied by the token doe Rigel, and several other mammals, furiously scribbling on blackboards that were wheeled out for demonstrative purposes. After several minutes, Rigel looked up to Arcturus and nodded; the bear descended the stairs and called order to the assembly.  
"Now," he began. "I don't understand why Rigel felt the need to bring out the chalkboards—"  
"If you say what I think you're about to say, these are necessary," she retorted. Arcturus rolled his eyes.  
"Very well. Now, you all received summons regarding Mapleton; this is, perhaps, the single most important event in the past two years."  
"Now," someone from the audience called out in an accusatory fashion, "For those of us that have either accidentally or purposefully been left out of the loop: what, exactly, transpired there?"  
"The city is destroyed, and its population dead."  
The crowd quickly grew unruly; soon, the entire chambers were filled with undecipherable noise.  
"ORDER!" the grizzly commanded. The noise slowly died down. "Regulus was working on some secret strain of rabies, highly weaponized. He was so secretive that he never told anyone else."  
Again, commotion grew in the chambers. It quieted soon after.  
"He wasn't careful in the containment of this strain, and it was accidentally released in Mapleton. Highly contagious and indistinguishable from common flu until hours before it kills, I, and a few others, decided the safest option would be to destroy the city before it had a chance to spread."  
Immediately, accusations and thunderous roaring filled the room.  
"How _dare_ you perform such an action without consulting us first!" someone shouted. The sentiment was backed by nearly everyone.  
"I didn't have time," Arcturus pleaded. "The work day was almost over; three dozen mammals were exposed, and only a third of workers in Mapleton actually live there. The simulations for a single patient zero were horrifying, let alone for patients zero through twenty-three."  
"You had help," Rigel accused, pointing to the calculations written in chalk. The noise died down to listen. "The strongest bomb in your arsenal has a one kiloton yield; we estimate, based on the blast size, and the fact that there was only one shockwave and one flash, that the bomb set off was at least ten megatons, easily ten thousand times as strong. Explain yourself."  
"It was the human!" Altair piped up. All eyes went to him; Arcturus' glare was especially evil. "He was directly involved in both the spread of the disease, and the destruction of the town."  
"A startling accusation, Altair," Kai retorted. "What proof do you have?"  
The rabbit faltered.  
"We don't have any weapons capable of destroying a city, but I have no doubt that you do," Rigel responded. The chorus of voices backed her up.  
"You are so eager to chastise me," Kai began. "Why?"  
"Because you are a cannon with a short fuse!" Altair shouted.  
"Look around," Kai spoke, motioning around him. "What do you see?"  
"The Court chambers," Rigel answered.  
"Precisely, the Court chambers, and not other members of the Court. As soon as you discovered I was human, you became so reluctant to associate with me, to walk past me, to sit next to me. I know that you will never view me as one of you, no matter what I do. This is why Jack throws such scathing accusations: he knows you will, by default, back him up."  
No response came, so he continued.  
"Why is it that I am an outcast? Is it because I don't have fur, like you do? Because I don't have paws, like you do? Perhaps it is the way I speak, the way I act? Even then, I have met stranger individuals in the city on a daily basis, and yet you have no troubles approaching them."  
"You are overturning our way of life," Altair accused.  
Kai laughed boisterously.  
"'Your' way of life? You copied it off of _my_ way of life. You abuse the fact that you are kin with these mammals, Jack. I don't need such petty tactics to throw an accusation of my own."  
"You wouldn't dare!"  
"In fact, I need only the proof that I have, instead of mob mentality, to state that Jack Savage pretended to recruit one of his agents as his protege; he told her everything about the Court: its proceedings, my identity, and the Truth, before drugging her and locking her in an asylum."  
"What proof do you have?" Arcturus spoke, intrigued.  
"I have the wolf in my custody, but it wouldn't even be necessary to bring her here. Alcor knows exactly what I'm talking about; don't you, Alcor?"  
"Don't drag me into this!" the doctor shouted.  
"What, you're siding with them, simply because they look like you, rather than the side of justice? I thought your role was to bring sanity to the Court."  
There was a long moment of silence, before Alcor spoke again.  
"Everything he said is true," the tanuki confirmed.  
There was a brief moment in which the Court grew unruly, but it quickly went silent after Altair shouted.  
"Don't try to deflect the blame, or change the conversation! Admit that you destroyed Mapleton!"  
"What would you gain by me admitting that?" Kai posed. "Hell, what do I gain by destroying the city?"  
"Answer the question," Rigel demanded.  
He paused for a moment, considering his options.  
"Yes, I did," the man finally responded.

There was a shocking silence; he expected outrage, but heard nothing.  
"How?" Rigel questioned. "It shouldn't be physically possible, I ran the numbers twice. No explosive can have that high of an energy density."  
"Trade secret," he responded.  
"You are obligated to tell us," shouted someone from the crowd.  
"And what, pray tell, will you do with this information?"  
No answer.  
"Given the circumstances," Altair began, "I believe we need to impose sanctions on Procyon."  
Kai chuckled.  
"What's so funny?" Rigel asked.  
"What punishment could you possibly impose on me?" Kai retorted.  
"Possibly excommunication."  
"So let me get this straight: I'm the first man you see in over two thousand years, and I very well might be the last man on Earth; you based your entire society on my way of life, and I'm your only accurate resource on the matter; now, you're going to kick me out because I won't sell you some worthless tech?"  
"Worthless?! You destroyed a city, killed its entire population! Black rain is falling twenty miles from Zootopia!" Altair roared.  
"So you plan on destroying cities, then?"  
The rage exuding from the rabbit was palpable.  
"Wait, black rain?" Rigel inquired.  
"Highly radioactive, sticky like tar," Altair muttered through gritted teeth.  
"You blew a dirty bomb?!" someone shouted.  
"Really? I thought it was rather clean," Kai responded.  
"Then what constitutes 'dirty'?" Rigel questioned.  
"I could have made the tamper out of tantalum-182 and cobalt-59, and created a salted bomb."  
"Those are fairly stable isotopes."  
"Not when they undergo neutron capture."  
The doe thought for a moment, before taking a step back.  
"You weaponized fission!" she suddenly proclaimed.  
"Fusion, darling."  
"H-how? Fusion isn't a spontaneous process!"  
"It really is a trade secret."  
"Enough of this!" Arcturus bellowed. "We can't waste the entire meeting bickering about the human and his methods! We have to decide what to do with the remnants of the city, what details to reveal to the public, and how to handle any survivors!"  
"Why are you protecting him?" Altair challenged.  
"Why are you attacking him?"  
"He could do this again at any moment!"  
"Which is precisely why we shouldn't piss him off! Do you really think this is the strongest weapon in his arsenal?"  
All of the infighting immediately stopped as the realization dawned upon them.  
"Bingo," Kai piped up. "He's exactly right. I have a weapon two-hundred times more devastating, capable of blowing a hole straight into the Earth's mantle. However, such things don't interest me. Instead, I'll work with all of you, provided you don't try to attack me or my allies."  
"… That's it?" Rigel asked, suspicious. "You just want us to... not harm you?"  
"Or my allies. Surprisingly, the rabbit can't seem to understand this. He keeps threatening me and my subordinates, and thinks it behooves him."  
"Alright. Unless anyone from the Court objects," the grizzly began, "We will refrain from bothering you."  
"I object!" Savage shouted out.  
"Except for Altair," Rigel added on. No one voiced their opinion.  
"It's decided then," Arcturus proclaimed. "No one is to attack Procyon or his subordinates. Especially Altair."  
"Great; as soon as this meeting is over, I'm off to Sagarmatha," Kai voiced.  
"And you are _not_ to stop him, Altair," Arcturus warned. "Nor are you to retaliate in any way."  
The rabbit sat silent.

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the official story, as well as how to handle the media. Most of the finer details were worked out by midnight, and most members no longer felt the need to stay, Kai being one of them. He stayed until Vega was named the new Regulus, before ultimately losing interest in the proceedings. He returned to his room to prepare for his voyage. While packing, Sirius knocked on his door.  
"Are you really leaving?" the wolf asked.  
"Only for a few days. I'll be back before you know it."  
"Who else is going to give me jerky and rubs?"  
Kai threw a full bag of dried meat to the wolf.  
"This should last you until I get back."  
"Oh, but what about the scratches?"  
"You have two hands."  
"Hah, hah," Sirius feigned. "But in all seriousness, I can't help but feel that Altair is going to try something while you're gone."  
"Oh, without a doubt. Hopefully you can keep some semblance of sanity in the Court."  
"You probably should have told them about your arsenal."  
"Why?" Kai questioned.  
"Otherwise, they have no reason to fear you. Mapleton was, to them, a one-time event. They don't think it could happen again, especially if they don't understand the mechanism behind your bombs."  
"I would rather risk that than reveal the inner workings of thermonuclear weapons."  
"Suit yourself," Sirius responded, shrugging. "It was just a suggestion. Say, can I help you pack?"  
"Probably not. You could help by keeping Altair away from my subordinates, and the police in general. He has no business there."  
"It'll probably be hard, but I know a few mammals."  
"Contact them. We'll need all the help we can get."

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

Kai was on the approach to the military base with Arcturus; while the bear was finishing up the meeting, he had visited his bunker to retrieve compact rations, as well as some tracking equipment and other odds and ends. They entered through the gates, and made their way to the hangar. Sleeping on a small cot on the inside was the wolf that Kai had rescued from the asylum; she was wearing a flight-suit, and she appeared in good shape. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she awoke.  
"We heading out?" she asked, groggily.  
"Yes. I'll take us out, and you'll land in Sagarmatha."  
"We have clearance?"  
"You do now," Arcturus interjected, stowing his phone in his pocket. "We operate a military base some few hundred klicks from the Port. You'd better hurry, though. If Altair finds out what I'm doing, he might get upset."  
"What can he do?" Kai inquired.  
"I'd rather not find out."

Kai and the wolf boarded the plane allotted to them, and taxied it to the runway. After obtaining clearance, they took off into the night sky.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter is late. I'm a really responsible writer, and by that I mean I made my mixed drinks really dirty by accident _right_ before I started writing. Like, ten shots in two drinks worth of dirty. You'd think long island iced tea is bad, but this was like sipping vodka through a straw. Another big thanks to Jackofallfables for helping me with this chapter. Without his help, it would have been nothing but drunken ramblings.**

 **Nick sections come back next chapter. Also, I really love my titles. A 'bedlam' is a scene of uproar and confusion, but also has a second meaning; it's archaic for an asylum.**

 **It's weird, normally I have a lot to say, but I just feel drained right now; what with the internship dumping an enormous workload, university starting back up in a week, and my health failing me, writing is becoming a little more difficult. I have everything plotted out for the next ~5 to 7 chapters, but if you have comments or suggestions, feel free to send them to me. This story isn't quite finished yet, and I love reading what you guys come up with.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #35: The moon is tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces us. If the sun were to never turn into a red giant, the Earth would also become tidally locked with the moon. However, this would take so long that in reality, the sun would expand and engulf both bodies.**


	36. Chapter XXXII: The Orient

**Sagarmatha  
4 AM**

Nick awoke unpleasantly; it felt as if the world was shaking. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that, in fact, Felix was shaking him.  
"Hey, get up," the snow leopard whispered.  
"What time is it?" Nick mumbled in response.  
"Four in the morning."  
"Damnit."  
He woke Judy, before getting dressed and stepping out. It was near pitch black, but surprisingly, the monks were already up and about toting lanterns for illumination.

As soon as Judy was dressed, the trio went to eat. The hall was empty, completely devoid of monks, unlike yesterday. When they finished, Felix grabbed the attention of a monk walking rounds and exchanged a few words. He motioned for them to follow, and they went after him into the caverns. Several winding turns, and they found the Geshe.  
"So," the head monk began. "You're sure that you wish to go after her?"  
"Yes," Felix replied, absolutely certain in his choice.  
"Very well. As you requested, we packed bags for you. Inside, you have food and water for two weeks, shelter, and other supplies. They'll be waiting for you at the path entrance. If you want to catch up to her, you should probably set out within the next hour."  
"We will."  
"I take it you remember the mountains?"  
Felix smiled.  
"Like the back of my paw," he responded.  
"Good, good. Unless there's anything else you need, you should go."  
The trio turned to leave, but Felix stopped and faced the head monk once more.  
"One last thing, actually," Felix stated. "If someone else comes here looking for us or Leora, turn them away."  
"Any reason?" the monk questioned.  
"I believe I have been followed by someone that wishes to do harm to her."  
The monk thought for a moment.  
"Very well."

The three exited and, true to the corsac fox's word, they found three large, yet appropriately sized traveler's packs waiting for them by the start of the mountain path. Felix donned his, but as Nick and Judy attempted to wear theirs, they struggled to stand.  
"Kinda… heavy…" Judy commented.  
"Oh, you'll get used to it," Felix commented, falling to all fours and proceeding onto the snow-covered path. Nick couldn't help but chuckle.  
"All fours? We're not savages, Felix. This'll be just like Tundratown." He took a step onto the path, and immediately sank waist-deep into the snow. This time, Judy and Felix laughed.  
"You see, Tundratown is climate controlled," Felix explained. "The snow is always packed hard there. This is mountain snow on an unpaved path, so you have to watch your step around here. Just follow my prints and we'll do okay."  
Judy followed his example and passed Nick, again giggling as he struggled to fish himself out. Eventually, he managed to climb out and, too, followed the others on all fours.  
"Why didn't you mention that the path wasn't paved?" Nick grumbled, annoyed.  
"I assumed it was common knowledge that we don't pave mountains." Felix gave a cocky grin, before turning to face the path. "Don't worry, it gets less snowy and more rocky the farther we go."  
"Is that supposed to be reassuring? I don't know if my paws can take sharp rocks."  
"Oh, they're not sharp; quite the opposite, in fact. Weathered from millennia of blizzards."  
Very shortly after, Nick piped up.  
"How far are we going today?"  
"We didn't even walk ten feet and you're already asking when we're stopping?" Judy muttered.  
"Sixteen hours," Felix explained. "Long day ahead of us, so don't waste your energy."

* * *

 **8 PM**

The only thing that Nick could feel was exhaustion. They had just finished setting up camp in a small enclosure chiseled out into the rockface, the second such cave that they had passed on their day's trip. Felix elaborated that many centuries ago, the monks of the neighboring lands all came together and carved out small grottoes for spending the nights on a ten-day hike.

Along with pitching tents, they had made a small campfire using the portable stove in Felix's pack; upon the fire they set a pot of water and began to heat their rations. Nick was pleased to see that the food was plentiful, and that the individual rations were large in size; it was just about the only good aspect of the day's journey.

He ate ravenously; it was the third meal he had eaten over the course of the entire day, and the first time in eight hours that he had anything in his stomach. By the time the others had started, he was nearly done.  
"Hungry?" Judy asked sarcastically.  
"Not anymore," Nick replied.  
Felix chuckled.  
"You've got a good attitude," he stated. "I know you don't like this, but try to bear with it a little longer. By this time tomorrow, we'll be reunited with Leora. After that, we can take it slow on the way back; we have more than enough food."

Nick waited for Judy to finish before retiring to a tent with her, leaving Felix to finish tying down and cleaning up their camp before he, too, went to rest.

* * *

 **30,000 ft Altitude  
Asia  
Noon**

Kai was sitting in the galley of the cargo plane while his co-pilot was in front. Although the auto-pilot was engaged, and the plane was level and on-course, he tasked her with watching the radio for any incoming transmissions. At the speed with which they were flying, they would reach Sagarmathan airspace in less than an hour. After that, the wolf would fly an additional half hour to the monastery so he could make the jump, before looping back and touching down at the nearby military base. There, she would wait for his return, or his call, whichever came first.

He was busy working fuel calculations when the wolf came back into the galley.  
"Yes?" Kai questioned.  
"I'm taking a break," she responded. "It's no fun up there."  
"Very well."  
"If you don't mind me asking, why are we taking a plane half-way across the world?"  
"Do you always question your superiors?"  
"I've just gotten into the habit, yes."  
Kai laughed.  
"Excellent," he responded. "It's a good habit of independent thinkers. If a soldier didn't occasionally question my orders, I would begin to question his sanity. We're going to retrieve a leopardess."  
"Who is she?"  
"A subordinate."  
"You waste your time, and all these resources, for a subordinate?"  
Kai rested his chin on his interlocked hands.  
"Time is not wasted if you enjoy wasting it. I'm curious, how much did Savage tell you?"  
"Everything. You can take off the mask."  
"Rather, how much did he show you?"  
"Enough to know that you're an ugly motherfucker beneath it."  
"My, my!" Kai chuckled. "That's offensive! I'm considered rather handsome by our standards, if you must know."  
"Really? Show me."  
He removed his mask and set it on the table, before rotating his head left, and then right to showcase his features.  
"Those eyes…" she muttered, taking a seat. "What's wrong with your eyes?!"  
"I differ from the average mammal in a thousand ways, and you're concerned with my eyes? Wolves have good hearing, right? Good sense of smell, too?"  
"Of course," she responded.  
"Listen closely: what do you hear? What do you smell?"  
They sat in silence; the only background noise was the very quiet noise of the turbines, shielded by the noise-proofed cabin.  
"You're very... still," she observed. "Practically invisible."  
"Meaning?"  
"No noise, no scent. No breathing, not so much as a heartbeat."  
"How does that make you feel? Terrified, I would assume. It was intended to be that way, at least."  
"You drew the long straw in evolution. So what?"  
"Humans stopped evolving naturally when we created antibiotics. We could _choose_ who lived and who died. No, I was bred in four hundred years of war. Built, rather."  
"Built?" she asked, confused.  
"Do you really think it's an accident that I have two hearts and you can't hear a single beat?"  
"The hell? I don't believe you. You can't sync up two hearts; the beating would never match up. Why would you even have two hearts?"  
He gave a vampiric grin.  
"Safety in redundancy. As to how, I'll leave that to your imagination."  
"No, really, how do you do it?!"  
"You know, you never told me your name," Kai spoke, dodging the question.  
"Five forty-three," she responded instantly.  
"Your name, not your number."  
"Why should I have a name? You never gave me yours."  
"Kai," he answered immediately.  
She looked up to the ceiling, as if searching for an answer.  
"Grace," she replied.  
"That's not your real name, is it?"  
"Is Kai yours?"  
"Touche."

She sat and stared at him while he resumed his scribbling on the notepad.  
"What are you doing?" she inquired.  
"Fuel calculations. I want to know how close we can swing by the monastery."  
"I don't know why you even want to go there; we don't have a parachute."  
"Don't need one."  
Grace burst out laughing.  
"I don't care what you are; if you're larger than a shrew, you're going to break at thirty-thousand feet. Someone your size will splatter."  
He shrugged.  
"I routinely make six mile jumps. In the past, orbital drops weren't out of my league. They probably still aren't."  
"You've been to space?" she asked incredulously. "How did you get there? I know about every expenditure in the world, and there certainly haven't been any passenger rockets outside of space station dockings."  
"Savage didn't tell you everything, did he?"  
"He said he did."  
"I'm old, Grace. Very old. Before mammals could talk, I was well over your age."  
"When were you born?"  
"On your calendar? Time immemorial."  
She snorted.  
"You think it's a joke," he spoke, "But there aren't any records outside of my personal library that detail the world back then."  
"What about Savage's Court?"  
"Their records are very incomplete. Almost nothing before the twentieth century, and even less after."  
"What century is it now, according to your calendar?"  
"The beginning of the forty-ninth."  
"Really," she remarked sarcastically. "Tell me then, how was peace between predators and prey negotiated in our year zero?"  
"There is no year zero, but ignoring that fact, how could I _possibly_ be expected to know?"  
"If you're that old, you should know."  
"How old are you?"  
"Thirty-one."  
"What happened in Honshu eight years, three months, and twenty-seven days ago?"  
"How should I..." She stopped once she saw the expression that Kai was giving.  
"I spent twenty-five centuries in a bunker, a little over six miles underground. I thought the Earth was uninhabitable after what we did to it. In fact, seeing any life at all was quite a surprise when I first stepped out."  
She pondered for a while, before returning a question.  
"What do you mean, 'what you did to it'?"  
Kai sighed.  
"The only way I can give an accurate description is to go into very great detail, which we do not have time for."  
"Abridge it."  
"We fought senseless wars over territory, religion, politics, and other, even more mundane matters. Of course, fighting wars for hundreds of years means you develop better armor. Better armor requires better weaponry to defeat. In the end, it spiraled out of control."  
"What was the 'ne plus ultra' of weaponry?" she inquired.  
"That depends: used in warfare, or not?"  
"They're different? Why make a weapon if you don't intend to use it?"  
"The single most powerful bomb ever made, we called the 'Pashupatastra'."  
"Why the complicated name?"  
"Those scientists had something for Hindu scripture. It was, supposedly, the personal weapon of Shiva the Destroyer, never to be used on lesser foes for fear of destroying the entire universe."  
"How grand."  
"We never detonated it, of course; even in the face of certain destruction. To do so would be madness. No, we stuck with thermonuclear weapons, which burn hotter than the core of the sun, flash lethal radiation, and drop radioactive fallout over a large area. We detonated enough of them that the dust they kicked up blocked out the sun and poisoned the land, causing nuclear winter."  
"... The Long Cold..." muttered Grace, stroking her chin.  
"... But eventually, it all settled, which gave way to you."  
"I have so many questions now."  
"Well, we have half an hour."  
"Why do your eyes glow like that?" she began immediately.  
"So I can see in absolute dark," he explained.  
"There's no light in absolute dark conditions."  
"Every black body above absolute zero emits radiation of a certain wavelength. We emit infrared, as do most things at room temperature."  
The wolf furrowed her brows and eyed him strangely.  
"What do I look like, now?"  
"Like a wolf."  
"I mean, funny colors or anything?"  
"I've seen this way for nearly my entire life, and I can hardly remember a time before I had these eyes. The statement 'funny colors' doesn't have any meaning to me, since I have nothing to compare it to."  
"So can you, like... see through walls?"  
"A little, yes. In fact..." He closed his eyes. "I can still somewhat see like this."  
She began moving her paw around, and he followed it with his hand.  
"Creepy," she commented, before quickly growing disgusted. "Does that mean you can see through my clothes?!"  
"Do you really want me to answer that?" he retorted. She stared with horror, and eventually Kai sighed. "To be honest I really don't care. Everyone seems to forget that all animals were naked when I was young. In fact, I think it's stranger that you're actually wearing clothing than not."  
She slapped him.  
"I probably deserved that," Kai remarked.  
"You bet you did. Alright, next question: why are you keeping yourself a secret from us?"  
"Why should I reveal myself?"  
"They have a right to know."  
"I have a right to privacy."  
She paused. He was right, and she knew it.  
"Fine. What job did you hold?" she inquired.  
"Assassin. Soldier. Bodyguard. All equally applicable labels."  
"How does your kind live this long?"  
"They don't. I was genetically engineered not to age past a certain point. Something about telomere regeneration, but I never cared much about the science."  
"What do you eat?" she asked.  
"Food," he responded.  
"What _kind_ of food?" she pressed, annoyed.  
"Good food, preferably. I hate bad food."  
She gave a very infuriated sigh.  
"Are you predator or prey?" she reworded.  
"Technically, neither. Humans have no natural hunters, and no natural prey." He clacked his jaws twice, showcasing his mandibles. "No fangs, see?"  
She gave him a look with the intent to convey _I'm about to kill you_.  
"Meat or no meat?!"  
Kai smiled.  
"Now you're asking the right questions. I prefer meat, but I can do without."  
She stared at him strangely.  
"You're not a cannibal, are you?"  
"That depends on what you mean by 'cannibal'."  
"Do you eat other mammals?"  
"That's not cannibalism."  
"Do you do it, though?" she pushed.  
"A long time ago, yes. Now, I stick to what the rest of you eat, since beef and pork are so hard to obtain."  
She gave him a look of extreme disgust.  
"What about actual cannibalism?" she mustered the strength to ask.  
"Well, there have to be humans for me to eat them, no?" he responded, amused.  
"You love dodging questions, don't you? Let me rephrase: have you _ever_ done it?"  
"Not by choice."  
"So you have?" Grace responded bemusedly.  
"I prefer not to talk about it. Let's move on; next question."  
"... Who did you work for?"  
"Oz."  
"What, is he a wizard?"  
"No, short for Ozymandias. We always made jokes back in the day about it."  
"Why, because it sounds ridiculous?"  
"No, because there was an ancient poem. Ozymandias is the Greek name of the greatest Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses the Second, also known as Ramses the Great."  
"How does this poem go?"

"I met a traveler from an antique land,  
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone  
Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,  
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,  
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,  
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read  
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,  
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:  
And on the pedestal these words appear:  
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:  
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'  
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay  
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,  
The lone and level sands stretch far away," he recited.

"Hmm, iambic pentameter. So, I take it your jokes implied that he wasn't a good leader?"  
"He only cared about his end goal, so we jokingly hoped that he would ruin his empire. He was one of the most powerful men in the world, and almost nobody could stand in his way. We lived with four hundred years of constant war, and we thought it would be unthinkable that it would just end. One day, it all started going to hell. Politics went bad, wars got grizzly... In the end, he and I were probably the last two men, until he died of age. Now, there's me. I always have hope someone else will show up, but..."  
"If you could take it all back, go back in time and change things so that none of this ever happened, such that you were with your kind once again, would you?"  
"Don't you ever make mistakes you wish you could correct?" he responded, before turning his attention to the paper once more. "Alright, if my math is correct, and it always is, we have enough fuel to arc around within thirty miles of the monastery."  
She waited a while before responding.  
"I'll go contact the control tower at the military base," she replied, heading to the cockpit.  
"Intercom when we swing closest to the monastery," he shouted after her.

Kai grabbed all of his equipment, and made his way to the rear of the plane. He waited, firmly clutching the straps attached to the aircraft's walls. It was a long time before he heard the wolf's voice over the intercom.  
"You're clear to jump," she radioed.  
He pulled the lever to open the hatch, wrapping the strap around his hand to avoid being sucked out. As soon as the door was fully open, he switched the lever back, and leaped out.

Nearly masked by fog and clouds, he could see what appeared to be a small village centered around a mountain; he aimed his descent towards it. At his estimate he would land approximately twenty miles out. He steered himself through the skies towards his destination, before changing his focus to finding hard ground. If he landed in a marsh, or a deep snowbank, he could end up trapped with no way out.

He spotted a paved road, approximately two car-widths wide; it was his best bet, although it would be tricky to land on. As the ground approached, he tried his best to avoid being blown off-course by the crosswinds and convection currents. When he was only a few hundred feet above the ground, he oriented himself for the landing. At this point, nothing he could do could significantly change his landing site, for better or for worse, and all he could worry about was making sure he landed correctly.

Sure enough, he landed on his two feet, nearly stumbling as he left two small impressions in the soft, poorly laid asphalt. Cursing the bad road design, he began his walk towards the village, turning his disguised on.

* * *

 **4 PM**

Kai took his time reaching the village, partly because he was encumbered by his enormous load of equipment, and partly because he felt no large need to hurry. As he walked through the gates, the villagers immediately began glaring at him; they all sent their young inside, with a few following their progeny, barring their doors shut. He walked through nearly the entirety of the settlement, finding nothing.

He stopped, looking around. There were three villagers still outdoors, and they each stared at him.  
"Have you seen a snow leopard, a fox, and a rabbit, traveling together?" he asked.  
One of them raised a brow.  
"Can you understand me?"  
They spoke amongst themselves in a foreign tongue, before laughing. He recognized their language to be Maithili; they were insulting him. He changed his language to match.  
" _I'm looking for a snow leopard, a fox, and a rabbit._ "  
Immediately, their amused expressions faded.  
" _They passed throug_ _h_ _,_ " replied one of the villagers.  
" _Where are they?_ "  
" _They went to the monastery._ "  
" _Where is the monastery?_ "  
" _Up the Grand Stair,_ " one of them replied, pointing a wavering finger off to the side.  
He nodded, and made way, before one of them shouted at him.  
" _The monks warned us about you. Don't go up, if you value life._ "  
He shook his head subtly, ignoring their advice.

Kai took the stairs two at a time, seeing that the steps weren't particularly tall. He reached a second settlement about half-way up the mountain; based on the icons and imagery, he presumed it to be the monastery, or at least part of it. He began wandering through, until a monk came to him.  
"Namaste," the monk murmured, holding palms together and bowing. Kai inclined his head slightly as a gesture of acknowledgment. "May I assist you in anything?"  
"Yes. I'm looking for four mammals."  
The monk hesitated, before responding.  
"What did they look like?"  
"Snow leopard, fox, rabbit, and a leopardess."  
More hesitation.  
"Allow me to ask Geshe-la Bikash; one moment, please."  
He waited while the monk entered a cave, descending out of sight. Several minutes later, he returned.  
"I'm afraid we haven't seen any mammals that fit that description."  
"I know for a fact that you cared for the leopardess for two months. The former three were here yesterday."  
The monk paused.  
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he stated firmly.  
"Not a chance. Take me to speak with your head monk."  
"Please, don't make me resort to violence."  
"Do not test my patience."

In the blink of an eye, the monk's fist was at Kai's face; he deflected the blow and threw the monk to the ground, pinning him beneath his foot. Nearly immediately, a swarm of monks came from nearly every facet of the mountain, surrounding him. He dropped his heavy bags to the floor, pulled a grenade from his vest, and held it aloft.  
"You will bring your leader here," he demanded.  
"I already am," spoke a faint voice from behind the crowd. The crowd immediately parted, bowing low as a corsac fox passed between their ranks.  
"I am here for—" Kai began.  
"Four mammals?" the fox inquired.  
"And I know they were here."  
"I swore that I would not allow anyone to follow them."  
Kai stowed his grenade, releasing the monk from beneath his foot; the trapped mammal scampered away, quickly fading into the crowd.  
"I failed to protect her once; Felix sent her here to keep her safe. I will not fail again, and no force, on this world or any other, will keep me from her."  
"If you care about them so much, why are you so heavily armed?"  
"To protect them."  
"Pardon me for not believing you."  
"What will it take for you to divulge their route?"  
"To quote you, 'no force, on this world or any other'. Now, please, leave. Don't force _me_ to resort to violence."  
"I am not here to fight."  
"If you stay, you will have to."  
"Then so be it."

The fox tapped his staff on the ground twice, and several of his monks began their assault. Kai withdrew a smoke grenade and dropped it to the ground, immediately plunging the area into darkness. Some of the wiser monks retreated past the cloud, but a few still threw themselves into the fray. For over a minute, the only sounds that could be heard were pained yelps, and sounds of struggle. As the smoke cleared, twelve monks were incapacitated, with a thirteenth in a headlock. The rest were staring in confusion.  
"All of this bad karma…" the fox muttered. "You will never ascend."  
"Ascend to what?" Kai spoke, entertaining the head monk's conversation.  
"Into the realm of the Humans, or the realm of the Gods. At this rate…" The corsac chuckled for emphasis. "You'll never reach nirvana."  
Kai threw the disciple that he held away, switched off his disguise, and pulled off his mask.  
"Oh really? Never is a long time; according to you, I should be farther along than most anyone here."  
"Y-y-y-you were hiding among us to test us, and I-I-I…" The head monk stammered, ears drooping and eyes held wide in disbelief. In the end, he conceded, and, falling to his knees, bowed very low. "Please, forgive me! Let us treat you to a feast!"  
"I'm intrigued with how you know about my kind," Kai mused.  
"It was in the murals, the surviving scriptures! Humanity is the final mortal rung on the cycle of rebirth; we didn't think anyone had such good karma."  
"You peg us as good, then?"  
"Well, anyone can be good or bad in any given life, but you must have been a saint in your previous lives!"  
Kai sighed.  
"Let's not get sidetracked," he stated. "How are they getting to Honshu?"  
"I can guide you to the trail after our feast."  
"I'm on a very tight schedule."  
"They just started on their journey. Felix should catch up to your leopardess by tomorrow; they certainly won't be off of the trail in the next few hours. Please, I insist!"  
Kai closed his eyes in deliberation for a few moments.  
"Fine," he answered.  
Immediately, most of the monks began heading their separate ways hurriedly, most likely to prepare for the feast.  
"I'm curious," Kai piped up. "Would you show me your teachings while we wait?"  
"Of course!" the corsac replied, motioning for the man to follow. Kai picked up his belongings and accompanied the head monk.

They began to descend into the caverns, following several winding turns before coming to a stop in a room with a large mural.  
"The Life of Buddha," Kai observed.  
"You know of this mural?"  
"Of course. It's a very famous depiction."  
"I'm not sure I have much to teach you, if you already know about the Buddha."  
"Please, begin from the start."  
"Well," the head monk began, "We believe the Buddha lived thousands and thousands of years ago according to the classical order of events."  
The fox traced his paw across the mural, holding it mere inches from the surface.  
"He passed his teachings along to any that would listen," he continued. "They must have unknowingly followed the Path, for how else could they have all been human?"  
"What happened next?" Kai inquired.  
"Well, a branch of his disciples carved this temple out of the mountain very long ago. We don't have any written records of the fact; only word of mouth has survived."  
Kai nodded.  
"So," the monk continued, "They trained in the art of peace, until neighboring villages came under attack. They at first tried to reason, but failed in every manner. In the end, they came to the decision that they must perform violence to end violence. They trained in lethal arts, but when they had the enemy beneath them, yielding and begging for mercy, it was granted."  
"Why?"  
"They resolved to only use the minimum force necessary to subdue a foe. Any more was senseless and a waste of energy, and any less would not subdue the foe."  
"I see. How did mammals come to inherit the monastery, then?"  
"Well, it is said that the great darkness of war befell all the men of the world. For a hundred years, the monks hid and accepted refugees of every kind. Among them, the first mammals with the gift of tongues."  
"Where did they get the gift of tongues?"  
"Perhaps their karma was not good enough to well entreat them to humanity, but good enough to prevent them from being a mindless animal with only carnal instincts. We do not know. What is important was that the monks had the good grace to take them in. By troves they fled up the mountains, and by troves they were given shelter and food."  
"What happened to the men?" Kai asked, curious.  
"In the end, they realized that they could no longer grow sufficient food for themselves and for us. A few stayed behind to help the newcomers acclimate and to care for them, but the rest went off to find a new path, and arable acreage."  
"Did they succeed?"  
"It is said that they went to the Pure Land. Whether or not it is true, I do not know. I do believe, however, that their selfless actions have allowed them to break free of Samsara, the cycle of rebirth, and allowed them to ascend into Nirvana." He paused, and turned to face Kai. "Tell me, where are you from?"  
"The land is now called Zootopia."  
"You came from very far, to save four mammals?" The monk bowed low again. "I am sorry that I misjudged you earlier. Your actions are, perhaps, purer than my own. You are closer to godhood than anyone else that I know, myself included."  
Kai hid a smirk while the monk wasn't looking.  
"I can show you to the dining hall. The preparations for the feast should be well underway, and I am sure that some of the monks would be interested to hear your stories, myself included."

* * *

The man sat in a very large chair, towering over the other monks; they had brought countless delicacies from the village below to please him, most of which he had turned down. He told story after story about his triumphs and duties, such that they would view him in a higher standing, until eventually they stopped asking. Now, he was merely biding his time until the head monk decided that he had 'atoned' for his prior actions.  
"Do these dishes not please you?" the head monk asked, upset.  
"I have already had my fill, I was waiting for you to finish," Kai stated.  
"You are too kind," was the response. The monks all around stared at their leader, until he waved subtly. They all cheered in response, for their lavish feast would not be interrupted early.  
"However, if you could tell me where this trail begins…" he began.  
The corsac stammered a bit.  
"… Today? It's not safe after this hour!" he protested.  
"I'll take my chances."  
"Please do not take insult, but you are still mortal, yes?"  
"In a manner of speaking."  
"It would hurt my conscience to know that I sent you out after dark on one of the mountain trails. Please, stay the night with us. We can set out at eight tomorrow morning."  
Kai let loose an exasperated sigh.  
"No later."  
"No later," the fox promised.

They took him to one of the larger huts outside, and gave him ample bedding and supplies. After he was left alone, he began preparing for the journey in the morning: he took the snowshoes from his pack and sharpened the cleats, cleaned his weapons, and set out his equipment for the next day. As he finished, he looked around the room. On a small shelf he found a holy text, which he began to browse; it appeared to him to be a collection of various Buddhist writings, all bound in a single book. As he flipped through the pages, his phone began to ring; he answered it.  
"Procyon, it's me," spoke the voice.  
"Sirius?"  
"Yeah, listen—"  
"You think I know your voice that well? All wolves sound the same on the phone. Introduce yourself next time," Kai berated.  
"Wow, not cool Procyon. Listen, we've got a problem. It's bad."  
"If you want me to come back, I'm letting you know right now that I'm not leaving without Leora."  
"Altair is stirring up trouble in the Court. By now he's convinced a little under half of the members that you're a liability in the wild."  
"So your meeting just got out at nine o'clock Sagarmathan time?"  
"What? No, he's been sending correspondence."  
"He doesn't have majority, right?"  
"Yeah, but Arcturus and I are losing support by the hour. We're starting to get worried that he might try to pull something."  
"So what, are you going to kill him?"  
"God, no! We're not monsters!"  
"Don't be surprised if this all turns South by tomorrow. Where is he?"  
"He's not at the lodge, so probably at ZSS headquarters or at his home."  
"When you see him, tell him to watch himself."  
"You want me to threaten someone who has the power to have anyone on the planet killed?"  
"On my behalf, yes. Use these exact words: 'Remember Mapleton'."  
"Procyon, that's exactly _why_ he's rallying for support."  
Kai sighed.  
"Why _did_ you call me, then?"  
"We need you back. He won't do anything if he knows you're around the corner."  
"Absolutely not. I said it once, I'll say it again: not without her."  
"He doesn't think you're a threat halfway across the world!"  
"Inform him that I am, then. You can't expect me to deal with all of your problems, Sirius."  
"You caused these problems!"  
"Goodbye, Sirius."  
"Wait, wait! Arcturus wants me to tell you not to wreck his plane."  
"Is that all?"  
"He also mentioned that your three are safe in his custody."  
"… Alright."  
Kai hung up. It was troubling news to say the least, but he had faith in Sirius' ability to handle things. At any rate, he had more important matters to attend, and he needed to be well rested. He laid back on the firm bedding, stared into the ceiling, and found himself unable to quite fall asleep. Disaster had an uncanny habit of following him wherever he went, and he prayed that it would not follow him here.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Nick's section is short, because I don't think I could possibly write about 16 hours of hiking in an interesting manner, so I PA'd it. This chapter should put me over 200k words, so yay to that. Maybe to celebrate I'll go back and try to fix up chapter IV. Oh God, chapter IV. The prospect of writing that scene just scares me, since it'll probably be awful. How to begin is easy enough, but then I get into trouble: everyone's got a fetish, but what the hell would mammals like? Would it be a predator/prey thing? BDSM? Something else entirely? I'm not sure, but this is why I take a week to write chapters: it's so I can write and rewrite as I see fit until I'm happy with the end product. On the plus side, if it isn't awful, then I can always write more lemons in the future.**

 **On a side note, Happy Labor Day Weekend, everyone. Also, to the guest reviewer who wanted the chapter yesterday: I'm sorry, but it wasn't ready then; you could have just PM'd me, and I would have sent you the chapter draft. We could have had a rousing conversation, too. Still can. Happy Birthday, by the way. Thanks to Jackofallfables again for his help with this chapter.**

 **My classes start on Tuesday, and I'll be rocking a 9am-7pm schedule. I'm sure I'll find time to write, though it might be difficult to keep doing a chapter every week.**

 **Someone asked if I would consider a career as a writer. Writing doesn't pay unless you can actually write in both quality and quantity, which I can't seem to produce. Imagine if I started charging for this fic; it would just be a joke. That's why I'm doing computer science, because no one cares how bad your code looks if it runs flawlessly, and if they do care, then you can just tell them to sod off.**

 **I might rename the chapter later, I just want to get it out tonight.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #36: Antarctica is a frozen desert, meaning it gets little precipitation of any kind. The South Pole receives on average less than four inches per year.**


	37. Chapter XXXIII: Reunion

**8 AM**

By the time the monks came knocking at his door, Kai was already ready for the day's hike. They brought him a boon of food and supplies, before bowing low and beckoning for him to follow. He went after them around almost the entirety of the monastery grounds, stopping to speak with the elder monk who agreed to see him off, before reaching a small marked trail that descended and wound far out of sight, about and around the mountain range. Although the snow up to the path was well trampled, the path itself only had three unique paw tracks.  
"Their trail is still fresh," Kai remarked. "Not much snowfall, is there?"  
"Not usually, no," the head monk replied.  
"I should be set from here on out, then. Thank you for your kindness," Kai stated, giving a slight bow, before starting on the trail.  
"Are you sure you want to walk upright?" the corsac shouted after him nervously.  
"I'll be fine." As he stepped onto the trail, his feet sank a couple of inches into the loose snow, but the snowshoes held him close to the surface. He could hear astonishment from behind him, but he ignored it. He had work to do, and any distraction, no matter how small or insignificant, was a waste of time.

He forwent the typical disguise, instead donning thermal wear, and wrapping a scarf around his neck to protect himself from the elements; the disguise didn't work correctly with the scarf, and he didn't anticipate running into any strangers that needed fooling. It turned out to be a good decision, since the bitter winds nipped at him, even in the thermal wear. The man followed the tracks along the worn mountain trail for some time. Some of the ascents and drops required climbing finesse out of the ordinary to traverse; easy for any sizable mammal, but difficult for someone without a tail for balance and four limbs for leaping. Thankfully, Kai required neither, having possessed the capability to pull himself and all of his equipment up with just his two arms, but an appreciation for evolutionary biology, and the artificial evolution of man grew on his mind in those moments.

He was interrupted sometime around noonday by a loud bang, followed by a low whir, the source of which came from above. As his eyes traced around the source, he saw a vapor trail behind an object now far out of sight. A plane, perhaps? No, it was far too fast; not even army jets could travel at such speeds. He looked again at the condensation trail, and found that it traced back with bearing to the military base. Immediately begining to worry, he drew his phone and dialed Arcturus.

It rang several times, before ultimately dropping him to the bear's voicemail box. He dialed a second time, and again, was left with no response. He tried a different tactic, dialing Sirius. Hardly one ring, and he received a dire answer.  
"Procyon, you have no idea how glad I am that you're calling!" Sirius cried out.  
"What's wrong?" Kai responded. "Why isn't Arcturus responding?"  
"That fucking rabbit had him arrested. He's got a warrant for me, too."  
"Where are you?"  
"Safe in hiding. For now, at any rate. Listen, you were right. We should have killed him when we had the chance."  
"What is he planning?"  
"I don't know, but he's having all the opposition 'taken care of', if you catch my drift. In the middle of the night, I got a call from Arcturus telling me to hide, and then nothing. I passed the word on to everyone I could, before locking myself up. Haven't left since."  
"How well stocked are you?"  
"Well, not very. Maybe a week, and I'm out of water."  
"Hold fast. When I get back, I'll fix everything."  
"We might be past that. He made it public knowledge that I'm wanted for drug trafficking, criminal affiliations, and cannibalism."  
"Except you're not a cannibal…"  
"In our sense of the word, Procyon. Do you know what they do to cannibals in prison? They get the electric chair! I don't want the electric chair!" The wolf now sounded frantic.  
"I suspect he's trying something here, too," Kai stated. "Perhaps a drone of some sort."  
"Why's that?"  
"I just heard a sonic boom, and there's a contrail leading back to the military base."  
"That wasn't Arcturus' doing, I can assure you that much."  
"I figured."  
He heard a faint rumbling noise from far over the mountains, where the unidentified object was flying.  
"No…" Kai muttered.  
"What's wrong?"  
"That sounded like an explosion." He was speaking very quietly.  
"Is that bad?"  
"I'm praying that it's not."  
"Listen, I don't want to talk too long. I need to save some phone battery in case I have problems. Call me if anything." Sirius hung up.

Kai held his phone silently, before dialing the rabbit. Precisely three rings later, the phone was answered.  
"I'm a little busy now, so if you could call me—" Altair began.  
"Make time," Kai seethed.  
"Ah, the human! I'm sure I can free up some time for a five minute chat. What brings you to me?"  
"What did you launch?"  
"Well, military secrets being what they are, I can't answer that."  
"You will answer me."  
"I'll tell you this: you no longer have any reason to remain in Sagarmatha. Why don't you head back?"  
"Why did you have Arcturus arrested? And Sirius? What's wrong with you?!" Kai demanded.  
"I have plans for your return, and I don't want them being interrupted. You are a public nuisance, and a danger to society, and I can't afford you running free. Not now, not ever again."  
"I swear, if my four died—"  
"So you admit that you sent them, then? In either case, you'll what? Blow up a city? I think not. We'll shoot down your missiles any day of the week."  
Kai laughed boisterously, to the point where the rabbit was yelling for an explanation.  
"We had four hundred years to get ballistics, counterballistics, and counter-counterballistics right," Kai goaded. "You won't get anywhere near them. But let us suppose that you did manage to develop four centuries worth of tech in less than a week. Even then, I still have a few gadgets up my sleeve."  
"Like what?"  
"The Pashupatastra, for instance. It's unstable by design, and as such, cannot be disarmed. Doesn't even need to be launched, to boot. Now, I ask you again: what did you shoot off?"  
"Go find out yourself, human. I have work to do, and you're wasting my time."  
"Answer me!" Kai cried out, but to no avail. The rabbit already hung up on him. "Fucker!"  
He ran down the trail as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

 **Mountain Trail  
Noon**

The trio was stopped for lunch on an outcropping. The midday sun seemed to scorch them, while the frigid winds and sub-zero temperatures froze them; it was, perhaps, one of the strangest feelings that Nick had ever felt. They sat and ate, watching any sights they could see: the indigenous wildlife in the form of birds and small lizards, the plethora of villages far in the distance, the planes in the sky.  
"Look at that one," Judy stated, pointing in the distance; everyone looked, seeing a glimmering object producing a very narrow stream of vapor. "What kind of plane do you think that is?"  
"It's not," Felix stated, standing and shielding his eyes with his paw to take a better look. "Looks like a rocket of some sort. Perhaps the local space program?"  
"Sagarmatha has a space program?" Nick remarked sarcastically, before taking a closer inspection at the object. "Hey, is it just me, or does it look like it's heading our way?"  
"Don't be ridiculous, Nick," Judy remarked. "What, you think they don't know how to launch a rocket?"  
"No, he's right," Felix remarked. "It does have an awfully horizontal bearing."  
They sat and stared for a while, and it soon became very evident that it was on a collision course with them.  
"It's going to his us, we should move!" Nick stated urgently.  
"Way ahead of you," Felix stated, slinging his pack over his shoulders. The others followed suit, and began following him as he made for lower ground. Their efforts appeared to have no meaningful impact, as the rocket seemed no more strayed from its path than it was before; the only difference was that it was now much closer. They upped their pace; Felix was now far ahead of the other two, with Nick in the middle and Judy picking up the rear.  
"Ahh!" Judy suddenly shouted, tripping and sliding several feet; her pack fell off of the cliff face, being improperly secured, but she managed to dig her paws into the snow and hold on.  
"Judy!" he replied, running back and trying to pick her up. He looked up to see that the rocket was only several seconds away from hitting them. He grabbed her and held her close.

Nearly immediately, he felt a horrible wrenching force on his belt; the sheer strength of the push nearly knocked him flat on his back, but it was short-lived enough that he avoided any serious consequences. Simultaneously, some of the frontal casing of the missile broke apart, causing some plastic to strike him in the leg. The rest of the missile flew upward and away, impacting with the top of the mountain in a loud blast.  
"Are you okay, Carrots?" he asked, lifting her up.  
"Nick, your leg, it's bleeding!"  
"I'll be fine," he grunted, clutching at his leg. "Let's just get going."  
"What happened?" she asked, breaking from his grip and getting upright.  
"I'm not entirely sure," he replied, moving his hand to his belt, where he had felt the force the most; there, he had managed to wrap his fingers around the badge gifted by the man many months ago. "I don't believe it!" he exclaimed, removing the badge from his belt and handing it to Judy.  
"What's this?" she inquired, helping the fox up.  
"Kai gave it to me a long time ago, back when you were still in the hospital. He told me it could deflect bullets, but I thought it was a load of shit. Guess I'm glad I brought it with me, huh?"  
Felix had finally rejoined them.  
"We're okay!" Judy shouted, relieved.  
"Quiet!" Felix hissed, pointing to the mountaintop.  
"What's wrong?" Nick inquired, before, too, being hushed.  
They followed the cat's finger up to the summit, where they saw the smoldering remains of the casing. The molten metal was dripping through the snow, causing steam to rise, and ice to melt. They noticed the snow shift a little before halting.  
"Shit," Felix muttered. "We have to get to the trees. Now."  
"Why?" Judy inquired.  
The snow shifted again, but this time, it didn't stop. It rolled down, knocking more snow loose, before soon evolving into an avalanche.  
"We don't want to get killed! Run!"

He quickly took off, and the couple made their attempts to follow him. However, with Nick's injured leg, it was proving to be difficult.  
"Judy, take my pack; it's making it hard to walk," Nick groaned, slinging the pack off of his shoulders. Judy quickly strapped it on hers, before continuing to help him along.  
Felix reached the trunk of a massive fir, before turning around to see that they weren't even remotely close. He ran back once more.  
"What's the hold up?!" he shouted urgently.  
"Nick's leg!" Judy replied, pointing to the bleeding shard protruding from above his knee.  
"I'll make it, the pack is weighing her down," Nick stated firmly. "Felix, I want you to carry her to the tree."  
"That's madness, you'll never make it!" Judy screamed.  
"You need the supplies, and I can't walk with them. They're too heavy for you, and if he carries me, you won't make it. On the off chance I get covered, you can just come dig me out."  
Felix contemplated the statement, before clipping Judy's pack to his and proceeding back to the tree.  
"No!" she shouted, desperately trying to claw free.  
Nick followed as close as he could, but was still twenty feet out; Felix had already climbed several branches, and strapped himself and Judy to the trunk.  
"Come on! You can make it!" Judy reassured.  
Nick was close, as was the avalanche. He hobbled to the bark, and managed to dig the claws of one paw into it. As he swung his second paw over, the snow hit him, and he was swept away. The last thing he heard before he was buried was Judy shouting his name.

* * *

Kai was sprinting through the trail when he saw two figures walking in the distance; as he got closer, he realized that there were in fact three: two standing, and one being carried. When he came up to them, he found that they were Felix, Judy, and a monk; the former two were sprinkled with snow, while the latter was holding the rabbit.  
"What happened? Where's Nick?" Kai asked hastily.  
"Who are you?" Felix asked skeptically, changing his stance to a fighter's pose.  
"Felix, I'm the ambassador. Where is the fox?"  
"You look so… why are you here? What about the others?"  
"Safe, for now. Please, tell me what happened!"  
Felix sighed.  
"Avalanche. Some rocket hit the mountainside and made the snow cascade. Nick managed to stick his leg with something sharp, and he didn't make it to the trees. The snow was so deep that it made it to us a few branches up. Brother Krishna helped dig us out, and we searched for the fox, but we couldn't find him. I'm sorry."  
"What about her?" He turned his attention to the rabbit, who was unconscious in the paws of the monk.  
"She wasn't holding tight to the tree when the snow hit; she was knocked out. I fear it might be serious."  
Kai inspected the rabbit, gently prodding various areas of her head.  
"If we're lucky, it might be nothing more than a concussion," he concluded. "I'm curious though, where did the monk come from?"  
"Ah, I didn't explain earlier; I was traveling with someone along the trail," the monk elaborated.  
"You what?!" Felix exclaimed. "You don't mean Leora?!"  
"The one and same. She shouldn't be too far; she actually came back with me when we saw the avalanche, but decided to turn around and continue her journey alone."  
"Take Judy back to the monastery," Kai muttered, walking past them. "I have to find Leora. If she leaves this trail, we may never see her again."  
"Wait!" Felix cried out. "Brother Krishna, can you take the rabbit by yourself?"  
"Yes, we should be able to reach the monastery before noon tomorrow, with or without you," the monk replied.  
"Good. I'm coming with you, ambassador."  
"You have to care for the rabbit," Kai stated.  
"I have faith in Brother Krishna."  
Kai sighed.  
"Fine. Do not fail me, monk."  
"I will not," Krishna promised.

The monk began walking back to the monastery, while Felix joined Kai on further heading through the trail. They ran at a strenuous pace for almost half an hour, before Felix spoke up.  
"This is where we were when the avalanche hit us."  
"You're sure?"  
"Yes, the cave is back there, and this is where Brother Krishna's tracks join ours."  
"Very well. Hold this."  
Kai unwound his scarf and handed it to the snow leopard, before pulling the hood of his thermal suit back, removing his mask, and taking a deep breath.  
"How long has it been since I've breathed fresh mountain air, laden with snow?" he mused, looking around.  
"You… you're like the murals in the monastery! The Buddha!" Felix exclaimed, standing on his hind legs and bracing himself on Kai's shoulders, getting a closer look.  
"I need absolute quiet, Felix."  
"But, but…" Felix attempted to reach for the man's face, before being gently cast away.  
"Absolute silence," the man reiterated. Felix promptly stopped making noise. Kai began pacing around, looking at the snow, and listening intently.  
"What are you doing?" the cat asked.  
"It is said that an arctic fox can hear a shrew's heartbeat under four feet of snow. Surely I can hear a fox's under the same."  
"But your ears are… small."  
"Didn't anyone ever teach you that size doesn't mean anything?" He knelt down, and began brushing snow aside.  
"Find something?"  
Kai stuck his hand into the snow, and lifted out a red fox. Only about half of the red was from his natural color; the other half was much darker, and came from the blood trickling about him after being in an upside-down orientation for over an hour. Felix could only produce a weary, nervous laugh.  
"Even after all this time, you still manage to surprise me every time I see you."  
"He's cold and soaked. We need to find shelter from the wind."  
"One of the caves shouldn't be far from here," Felix said, looking back over his shoulder. "About five minutes that way. We passed it on the way here."  
"Let's go."

They carried Nick to the enclosure; Felix lit the stove, and set a pot of water. Kai set the fox down on a padded mat near the fire.  
"So this entire time…" Felix began. "You were… this… the entire time?"  
"What, do you think I just changed overnight? Of course I was human the entire time. Rufus even caught on to the fact before anyone else, if I recall."  
Felix shook his head, chuckling.  
"I still can't believe Leora's theory was correct."  
"She was unmistakably bright," Kai concurred.  
"But... what are you, really? I always assumed the monk's stories were legend, fable!"  
"Myth always has an origin."  
Felix gave a second inspection, leaning to view the man's features from every angle.  
"No fur?"  
"Of course not."  
"And your eyes?"  
"I've had this discussion far too many times already. I'm adapted to see in no-light conditions."  
"Wait, didn't Leora rake your face? Where are the scars?"  
"Healed."  
"But the bleeding, you bled so much!"  
"How is it that you find _that_ detail the most unbelievable?"  
"I..." Felix gave a small chuckle, before quickly growing into a full-blown laugh. "I never anticipated such a turn of events. So tell me, how did you become this way? Good Karma?"  
"I was born this way. I'm not some divine being, I'm still a mortal, just like you, or anyone else. Admittedly, there were far more of my species several thousand years ago, but I digress. It isn't witchcraft, it's science, survival of the fittest."  
"Where did they all go?" Felix asked.  
"Died out. Killed off, rather." Kai looked out of the entrance of the cave. "I need to set out. As soon as the pot's warm, you need to wash him off, dry him, and head back."  
"What? No, you can't! I have to see her, too!"  
"It wasn't a request. It was an order."  
"I'm fine…" Nick mumbled quietly; he quickly curled up, covering himself with his tail as insulation. Only his closed eyes and a portion of his snout still showed.  
"You aren't fine," Kai stated. "You're injured."  
At this point, the water was almost hot; Kai took it off of the fire and grabbed a cloth from Felix's pack, soaking it. He proceeded to wipe down Nick's leg, being forced to hold it down as the fox attempted to wrest his limb away. He wrung the makeshift towel, blood dripping onto the cold stone floor, before soaking it again and handing it to Felix.  
"Get him cleaned up. I'll bind his leg," he ordered, grabbing a bandage from his own supplies. He wrapped it as well as he could, tight but not constrictive, around the wound; he left the large shard of plastic in, reasoning that removing it might cause uncontrolled bleeding.

Several minutes later, Nick was cleaned as well as was possible with the supplies on-hand. He curled around the fire to dry.  
"It's getting dark," Kai observed, looking to the entrance. "Damn."  
"We can still travel at night, if you don't mind the temperatures," Felix stated. "The cold won't bother me."  
"And the fox?"  
Felix paused.  
"Do any of you have any thicker clothing?" Nick asked, wrapping himself with some dry cloth.  
Kai gave a long and deliberating 'hmm'.  
"Felix," he started. "Do you have enough supplies to get to Leora, and then back to the monastery?"  
"Well, I lost some things in the avalanche, but we should still have tons of excess." He quickly checked. "Yeah, we're still okay."  
"Good. We're setting out; we lost enough time as it is." He gently picked Nick up, wrapped him within his shawl, and zipped him up within his thermal jacket.  
"Are you serious?" Nick asked, peeking his head out from the folds of the coat. "I'm not some pocket pet."  
"You'll be warmer with me than anywhere else."  
A small pause occurred as Nick inspected his surroundings.  
"Now that you mention it, it is toasty in here." He wiggled slightly to readjust himself. "Alright, let's get going. Try not to bump my leg, please."

They set out again, the sky slowly darkening above them. They took a slightly slower pace than before, and continued for half an hour, before Felix tried to strike up a conversation.  
"It's been bothering me… how are you not sinking in the snow?"  
"Snowshoes."  
"Which are?"  
Kai quickly lifted a leg to show the footwear.  
"Increases surface area, distributes my weight better," he explained.  
"One more thing, why no disguise?" the cat asked.  
"It doesn't work with the scarf," Kai replied.  
"You're not wearing the scarf, though."  
It was true, he had wrapped it around Nick. He shrugged, switching the box on; there was no reason not to anymore. Seeing their conversation, Nick joined in, his voice muffled from beneath the man's coat and scarf.  
"Where's Judy?" he asked.  
"Alive. Safe, at any rate. A mild concussion, perhaps, but she'll live."  
"Does she know I'm alive?"  
"She was unconscious when I saw her. You can tell her yourself, once you see her."

They kept on the route well past sunset. Felix began to drag his feet along, but still kept up, while Nick fell asleep pressed against Kai's chest. Up ahead, on the next alp, they saw a cave with a dim light.  
"Do you think it could be her?" Felix inquired wearily.  
"Only one way to find out," Kai answered.  
The trio took a long time to reach the luminous grotto; when they were near, Felix called out.  
"Hello?!"  
No one responded, so they entered. Inside, there was a small campfire; beside it, an extinguished lantern and some other camping supplies.  
"Strange," Kai remarked. "There's no one here."  
"Perhaps they stepped out?" Felix speculated.  
"We would have probably seen them if they did."  
Kai heard a very faint noise behind him, and turned around to look at its source. A mammal, sinuous and fairly tall compared to the natives, wearing a completely white coat and goggles, was brandishing a medium sized knife.  
"Who are you two? No one else is supposed to be on this trail."  
"Leora?" Felix inquired.  
"How do you—Felix?" She lowered her scarf and removed her goggles. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm so glad to see you!" he remarked, reaching around and embracing her.  
"Yeah, you too, but that doesn't answer my question." She shifted her gaze to Kai. "And who is this?"  
"This is the ambassador."  
"No, it's not. Stop lying."  
"No, honestly!" Felix insisted.  
Leora carefully reached out with her paw towards the wolfish snout, and found her paw passed right through.  
"Show me the mask. Now," she demanded.  
"Of course," Kai replied, removing his mask and wiggling it in the air. Immediately, she slapped him across the face.  
"How dare you show your face around here," she seethed, tears welling up.  
"What's wrong?" Felix asked.  
"You promised to visit me in the hospital, and then you didn't show up!" Seeing that he wasn't responding, she slapped him again. "I thought you were dead! And then Felix had to take me to this godforsaken, shitty country so I wouldn't get killed!"  
He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it after seeing her expression.  
"Two months! Two months I sat and waited, for nothing! And when I finally learn something about my past, _then_ you two show up?!"  
"We couldn't write, or contact you in any way," Felix protested. "Our communications were being monitored."  
"What about him?!" she yelled, pointing to Kai.  
"I sat locked up. They agreed to not chase you anymore if I went with them," he responded plainly.  
"So you sat and did nothing?" she asked.  
"At the time, it was the only way I could assure your safety."  
"Then why are you here now?!"  
"They reneged. Neal is dead, and the rest might have been on the way. It would take a while to explain everything."  
"We have all night. You may as well start from the beginning."

Kai opened his coat and gently set Nick next to the fire.  
"Who's he?" Leora asked.  
"Remember the fox you busted out of jail?"  
"Why is he here?"  
"It was the clever way that Bogo and I got them into the country without raising too much suspicion." He glanced at the sleeping fox. "It's a shame it didn't work out too well."  
"The beginning. Start from the beginning."  
Kai sighed, and the three of them took a seat by the fire.  
"Let's see… I suppose this story begins after you left the lodge. I fought Arcturus, and, well…"  
"You lost."  
"Not exactly. I made it out with my life, and I incapacitated him, but he cut my neck and they found me out."  
"Found you out?"  
"I suppose it isn't any surprise to you that I'm not your typical mammal."  
"Of course not."  
"Wouldn't you know it," Felix interjected, chuckling, "But your primate theory was correct!"  
"He already confirmed it independently," she retorted.  
"Well," Kai continued, "It took me too long to realize, but there's no point in hiding behind masks anymore. Not when the Court does such a good job keeping my history locked up. Unless I specifically tell someone, they'll never know everything. You six were smart; you put two and two together based on a few inconsistencies, but I tried for anonymity more than actually caring for you while you were under my command. I got cocky, and it gave you more problems than good." He shook his head. "My gravest mistake."  
"What are you getting at?" Leora asked harshly.  
"Perhaps I need to start over. Keeping secrets was something I was good at in my past, but those days are long gone. I'm not an assassin, nor can I fly solo anymore." He lowered his hood and switched off his disguise. Leora bore a quizzical expression. "Now that we have that hurdle out of the way, you deserve to know why I couldn't come. Let's see... where did I leave off?"  
"You just lost to Arcturus."  
"I prefer the term 'winning through a loophole'."  
"You lost. What happened next?"  
"Well, I barely made it back to my bunker. I took a fall, and broke the original disguise."  
"You… broke it?"  
He removed the box from his belt and handed it to her.  
"Here's the new one. They're not typically fragile, quite robust actually, but dropping six miles and then landing on top of something tends to break anything."  
She handed it back.  
"So what happened next?"  
"I came back. Armed, of course. They bluffed and I fell right into it: they told me they had you, and they were willing to do an exchange; me for you. So, I accepted. Of course, I was wrong, but they honored their end of the bargain by not chasing after you."  
"And it was like this for two months?"  
"The food was the worst part. Eventually, I found out that you were 'out of country' by one of their ranks."  
"Why, they let it slip?"  
"No. I hooked Neal up with a vixen from the Court. Turns out it was a good choice. Neal fell ill; the vixen's father, the chief virologist and head of the Bureau for Disease Control, accidentally let a weaponized strain of rabies escape. The vixen was smart; she figured he was a goner unless she got antivirals from me. She was the one that told me about the deception."  
"And she broke you out?"  
"I broke myself out. I was sitting there of my own volition; once I realized that they had no immediate power over you, I just broke the lock, so to speak, and left."  
"I take it Neal didn't make it," Leora muttered.  
"Not exactly. He was in one of their isolated rooms, and the vixen and I broke in to get him the antivirals. We made it to his room, before… complications arose. Her father is an ethnic purist; he refused to allow her to date outside of her subspecies. She decided to defy him, which ended up not working. He hit the emergency switch, and I had to go deactivate the safety mechanisms. I came back, and I was too late. They both died."  
Leora and Felix closed their eyes and looked down; the brief, solemn vigil for a fallen friend.  
"I gave them a second chance," Kai continued. "They died of inhalation, and panacea is typically very good at curing that. I handed two vials over, along with the rest of the antivirals, to her father, with a threat. I took Neal's blood and promised to weaponize the rabies if he didn't cure them."  
"Quite a tale you have," Leora commented. "So, how did Neal really die?"  
"I found out, several days later, that the doctor only cured his daughter. I went to confront him and, using Neal's blood, sentenced him to a slow death."  
"Good riddance."  
"Except, naturally, nothing ever goes the way I intend. He jumped from the top of the medical tower in Mapleton, and ended up spraying at least a dozen pedestrians."  
"They had the city quarantined, right?" Leora asked, concerned.  
"No, everyone just has rabies now," Felix replied sarcastically. She hit him.  
"I imagine you felt an earthquake a day or two ago," Kai stated.  
"Wait, you did... what, exactly?" Leora inquired, uncertain of his connotations.  
"I destroyed the city. No survivors. Another million deaths on my record."  
"I have a hard time believing that this only happened two days ago. How are you here, now?" Leora queried, suspicious.  
"Well, word got back to the Court, as I suspected it would. They were forced to take me seriously, once they realized I was responsible for Mapleton. In the end, they decided against pissing me off, so I borrowed a military cargo jet from Arcturus—"  
"The same Arcturus that beat the shit out of you?" Leora asked.  
Kai sighed.  
"Yes, that one. He realized that he could never stand against me, even with the combined military might of the world. It would be more beneficial to him, me, and the Earth, if we were allies than if we were enemies."  
"I see. Continue."  
"So, I landed at the monastery. I spoke with the monks, and they first refused to tell me where you all went. They mentioned my race, so I removed my mask; they then insisted that I was some sort of deity, and that they were obligated to give me a feast. That delayed me by a day, regrettably, which probably gave that rabbit enough time to pull off a coup."  
"Rabbit?"  
"Jack Savage."  
"You mean the director of the ZSS?"  
"Yes, that one. In fact, he's been pulling a lot of strings in my affairs, as well as yours. Felix, that rocket that hit you?"  
"What about it?" Felix responded.  
"It was a cruise missile. Supersonic. I didn't notice it until after it had passed, but a few phone calls revealed that Arcturus is no longer in charge of the military; he's been arrested by none other than—"  
"Savage?" Leora interrupted.  
"Precisely. I have no direct proof that he did it, but I am almost certain that it was him."  
"Wait, Leora," Felix suddenly piped up. "Describe the rabbit you met in the market."  
"He was somewhat short," she began, "Piercing blue eyes behind his hood, and… black… cheeks. Fuck! It knew he looked familiar!"  
"He claimed to be your family friend, right? He's good; the whole world knows his face and he still pulls off stunts like this," Felix stated, sitting back. "At any rate, we can leave for the monastery tomorrow."  
"I'm not going back, Felix. Not until I know for sure."  
"But he lied to you!"  
"No, he didn't," Kai interjected.  
"What?" they both spoke in unison.  
"I met your parents, Leora. Before I left, I visited the asylum in Tundratown."  
"That facility is despicable," she growled. "Every time I complained, nothing would happen. They refused transfer paperwork, and the police could do nothing."  
"I made sure they would get better treatment before I went my way; however, they did mention something very peculiar: the sovereign nation of Japan."  
"Hey, that sounds familiar," Felix spoke. "Didn't you say something about a 'Japan' a few months ago?"  
"Yeah, I seem to remember that, too," Leora confirmed.  
"Well, you see, they directed me to the imperial menagerie in Tokyo. I suppose you call the city 'Edo'. It's funny, really; most of your place names are simply outdated or incorrect labels from my time, but I digress."  
"My father's stories are nothing but tall tales."  
"Except they're not: tell me, Leora, do you remember the story about the menagerie?"  
"The emperor set the menagerie free after he could no longer keep them safe, and Doraemon taught them the gift of language."  
"And I know that part is true."  
"How?"  
"I was the one that sacked the city before he released them."  
Felix stared, brow raised, while Leora merely laughed.  
"That would make you what, over—"  
"Over two-thousand five-hundred years old. I know."  
"And you expect me to believe this, why?"  
"What's something you always wondered about, but could never explain?"  
"Why giraffes have long necks."  
Kai paused, blinking once.  
"Evolution, but I meant something geographical; something regional. Perhaps more of your father's stories."  
"Alright… knowing evolution works the way it does, why is it that every mammal can walk and talk? Surely if the birds and lizards can't, at least one mammal would have to have been left behind; especially seeing how our ancestors couldn't talk, and that was well after species separated."  
"Humans meddled with biology. Well over ten-thousand years ago, we were the only ones that could either walk, or talk. We decided to play God and splice our genes into anything we could. Naturally, being mammals ourselves, only other mammals didn't reject them." Kai showed his hand, wiggling his fingers. "It's why you have these. How else do you think you'd get opposable digits in two and a half centuries? Surely not evolution."  
They both looked at their paws, before returning their gazes to him.  
"I don't buy it. What about independent evolution?" Felix questioned.  
"What is eight times eight, Felix?"  
"Sixty-four, why?"  
"Now count to ten on your fingers for me."  
"You know I can't."  
"You use base ten for mathematics, but you don't have ten fingers. Do you have any idea why that is?"  
"It's convenient."  
"Any base is convenient if you grow up with it. Base two is the fundamental language of computers; why not learn it?"  
Felix couldn't come up with an answer.  
"And you have eight digits on both your paws; why not base eight, so that you could count on them?"  
Again, no response.  
"This is why," Kai concluded, wiggling his digits again. "We invented the number system, put it at base ten for ten fingers, and called it a day. You never changed it."  
"A plausible story, ambassador," Felix stated, "But what about the West Rockies? Why does nothing grow there?"  
"By 'Rockies', you mean the mountain range in the western end of America, stretching from the arctic to the tropic, right?" Kai tried to confirm. Felix nodded. "What was the explanation you were told?"  
"Volcanic activity, but none of the mountains there are active volcanoes. None of them have been for a long time. Besides that, volcanic soil everywhere else is fertile."  
"Well, in the second Sino-Anglo-Russic war, the Axis navies pulled a combined invasion on the western shore. They managed to push to the Rockies, up until I was called in to manage the situation. Together, then-Captain Vitya and I strategically positioned a small number of anti-air batteries and encampments to hold them off for forty days."  
"What happened after forty days?"  
"I got clearance to pursue my strategy. We were running out of equipment which was instead being sent to the Southern and Eastern fronts, and we couldn't hold them forever. The secretary of war knew this, so he finally authorized my use of salted bombs."  
"Which are?"  
"Imagine a bomb capable of destroying a city; I hit Mapleton with a nuclear weapon, which was the same technology I showcased for Bogo in my 'fireworks' display. Those were 'clean' bombs, meaning they emitted minimal fallout. Now, add to it a cobalt/gold tamper, so that it scatters radioactive isotopes across the land when it explodes."  
"Why would you bomb your own country?"  
"It wasn't technically my country anymore, but it was the only strategy that I saw as feasible. In the ancient history of war, the Russians were very good at something called 'self-sacrificial wars of attrition', a strategy akin to a reverse siege. I adopted their technique of leaving and burning everything you couldn't take. I evacuated everyone east of the mountains, and bombed a five-hundred mile strip west of them. Very efficient, and very effective; the estimates were around twelve-thousand Allied casualtied. We starved out the Axis forces, and they couldn't call in reinforcements since I had blocked off the western shore behind them. I was ready to negotiate their surrender, but I received orders from higher up to have them killed. I didn't bother, so the Allied general ordered their deaths via carpet bombing."  
"Why, though?"  
"They had military equipment that they could have repurposed, but we didn't want them to have. So, to answer your question: nothing grows because the soil is tainted with heavy metals."  
"Which were attributed to volcanic activity!" Felix spoke, in a sudden moment of revelation.  
"Any other questions?" Kai asked.  
"I believe you," Leora stated confidently, embracing him. "And I forgive you." He sat still, unsure of what to do, before finally returning the hug.  
"Heh, took you long enough. You never trust me, Ana."  
She bore a confused expression.  
"Who?" she inquired.  
Kai stopped.  
"What did I say?" he responded.  
"You called her 'Ana'," Felix explained.

Kai immediately stood and walked to the mouth of the cave.  
"Where are you going?" Leora inquired.  
"Fresh air. These campfire fumes are getting to me." He quickly exited into the night.  
Felix and Leora exchanged a look, before the latter chased after him. She wandered through the darkness for several paces, before eventually finding him sitting upon a rock, staring into the distance.  
"Everything alright?" she asked, taking a seat next to him.  
"What's wrong with me? First I feel guilty about doing what was necessary to Mapleton, and then I accidentally mistook you for her."  
"Her?"  
"Ana. It's not important anymore."  
"Did you love her?"  
"I suppose you could say that. I wouldn't really call it that, but everyone else seems to."  
"I… don't think anything's wrong, then. Guilt is a normal behavior, and so is loss."  
"I never felt them before."  
"You're what, two-thousand five-hundred years old?"  
"Two-thousand six-hundred seventeen," he corrected.  
"Pfft," she muttered, "That's like, a hundred times my age. You only just found out mammals own the world, right?"  
"Around three months ago, yes."  
"That must be quite a shock; I wouldn't blame you if you started feeling different after your whole world turned upside-down."  
"But this just isn't… normal." He stared at his hands, before clenching them and lowering them. "Voices torment me: voices of the people I've loved, the people I've lost."  
"Maybe you're just taking everything too seriously. There is no war anymore. It's just us, on this mountain. All that matters is this moment, and if you worry about the past, or the future, you're bound to go crazy."  
The explanation wasn't quite satisfying, but Kai accepted it anyways.  
"Alright. I'll try."  
She pecked him on the cheek, and stood up.  
"Come on, let's go back inside. I'd hate for you to catch a cold."  
He looked at her.  
"I'm not scared of catching a cold, nor pneumonia; any illness for that matter." He patted his chest. "I was built to last."  
"Well," she responded, patting hers. "I wasn't. I'm staying wherever you are, and if you stay out here, I'm going to catch a cold. So come on, let's go back."  
She grabbed his arm and attempted to drag him back, but to no avail.  
"Shit, what are you made of?" she grunted, making another attempt to heave him. "Ah!"  
He playfully swung her over his shoulders and began walking back.  
"You know I hate this," she muttered, limply hanging.  
"Which is why I do it," he teased.

They quickly returned to the fire to find that Felix was falling fast asleep, using Nick as a makeshift pillow. Leora couldn't help but giggle.  
"They're kind of cute like that," she commented.  
"I thought it was taboo to call another mammal cute."  
"Only rabbits and other smaller mammals seem to hate that. Besides, I'm sure Felix wouldn't mind."  
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I could suspect you and Felix were brother and sister."  
"We're not even the same species."  
"Covered in snow, you can hardly tell. You two are more alike than you think."  
He sat by the fire, and she sat next to him.  
"So what's the plan?" she asked.  
"We can start heading back to the monastery late tomorrow morning. I wouldn't want to deprive them of sleep."  
She looked him in the eyes.  
"I was serious when I said I wasn't going back; not yet, at any rate. I want to go to Edo. Now that you told me my father's tales were true, I have to see it for myself!"  
"Well… I suppose I'll have to show you the way, then."  
"What about them?" she asked, pointing to Felix and Nick.  
"I doubt that I can convince Felix to split, so I can assume he'll follow us for the remainder of the trail. If we all go together, we can leave them at the next village. I'm sure any monks there can help give them safe passage back."  
"Alright," she accepted, leaning heavily against him and closing her eyes.  
"You okay?" Kai asked.  
"I'm gonna try to catch some sleep. You're much softer and warmer than the floor, so I hope you don't mind."  
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, smiling.  
"Not at all."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm very very tired.**

 **This chapter is one of the longer ones in terms of word count, and probably in terms of 'things done', as well. Maybe I'll include some fanservice next chapter, or in a couple chapters.**

 **Thanks to Jackofallfables for helping with the chapter.**

* * *

 **Fun Fact #37: Did you know it's theoretically possible to instantaneously teleport three feet to the left due to quantum tunneling, but statistically very unlikely? The chance that every particle in your body would tunnel to the same location with respect to each other, all at the same time, and all to the same place is so unlikely that you have a higher chance of getting struck by a lightning bolt, surviving, then winning the lottery seven times in a row, then getting bitten by a shark while inside of a movie theater on dry land, and then winning the lottery again, before finally spontaneously catching fire and combusting into a pile of ash while riding in your private jet purchased by your lottery winnings. It's actually nearly infinitely more likely that that would happen than you quantum tunneling by chance.**


	38. Interlude: Consequences

**Rufus, Prance, Bjorn**

Rufus returned to the small table in the middle of the mess hall with a tray of food; it was mostly tasteless, as he figured out military meals typically were, but he at least had the company of his recent friends.  
"I don't get why we still have to be here," Prance protested. "Do any of you even know where we are? I still don't."  
"Well," Bjorn responded, "I'm sure us being here has something to do with our safety, according to Chief Bogo. As for where it is… I imagine it's somewhere west of Zootopia. Anywhere from three-hundred to five-hundred miles."  
"You must be good at directions," Prance responded. "Once they put that blindfold on me, I just lost all sense of time and space."  
"I imagine everything boils down to the ambassador," Rufus mumbled.  
"Why's that?" Bjorn inquired. "Bogo said that he was doing it for us."  
"Yeah, but think about it: ever since he came into our lives, shit just hit the fan."  
"How so?" Prance asked.  
"Prance, you nearly died. You did die, in fact. The fact that you can walk again is nothing short of a miracle."  
"If it was him, don't you think Felix would be here? What about Neal?"  
Rufus didn't have an immediate response, instead picking at his food with a fork.  
"Speaking of them," he eventually piped up, "Have any of you heard from Leora in the past two months?"  
"Bogo let slip that she went missing," Bjorn stated.  
"After I lent my car to her and the ambassador. Haven't heard from him, either."  
"You aren't implying that she's… dead, are you?"  
"No, I just think it's suspicious is all. Especially after I found my car next morning, parked in the street out front, seats coated with blood."

They sat and ate quietly, trying not to conclude anything from the information given by Rufus. Their meal was interrupted shortly after by the base commander, a rather tall coyote with a sinuous build, and an unusually patient temper for a military commander.  
"I'm sorry to bother you gentlemammals, but we have a very big problem. I need you in my office. Feel free to take your food," he spoke quietly, before beginning to walk off. They quickly grabbed their trays and scrambled after them.  
"What's wrong?" Rufus asked; the base commander didn't respond.

Eventually, they reached his office; the trio sat on the chairs before his desk, and he locked the door.  
"Now, I imagine you are very irate about your treatment," he spoke.  
"Actually, not really," Prance replied. "The food's bad, but other than that…"  
The coyote laughed.  
"I get that a lot. Anyways…" He sat at his desk, and pulled out a small tape recorder. "The information that I am about to share is, obviously, ears only. You are here for the sole purpose of your safety, is that what you were told?"  
"Yes," they responded in unison.  
"Well, that's not entirely true. My commanding officer, Generalissimo Paddington, has tasked me with keeping you here in the interests of national security, and the safety of the world."  
The trio quickly burst into laughter.  
"I know it's hard to believe," he continued. "However, the bad news: Paddington's been arrested by the Secret Service. He managed to get a phone call out, which I want to play for you."  
The coyote played the recording.

"Listen, General: I don't have much time, but… that rabbit's gonna be the death of me. Command of the army should defer to you, by default; I assume you will keep it in good paws. Do _not_ let Savage find out about our arrangement. Under any and all circumstances, he must not find out about the trio, either. Keep them safe by any means necessary. I'm going to be arrested, and I want you to do nothing. Do not retaliate, do not protest. Instead, denounce my actions, whatever Savage invents, to the whole world. They must not believe we're in cahoots. I—" Several sounds of struggle and yelling played out, before the recording resumed, in a slightly more urgent tone. "Keep them safe; they must live until the ambassador returns. Do not fall for imposters. Ask him to reveal his true face; you'll know, because he's unlike any mammal you've ever seen. Remember Mapleton, Denebola."  
The recording cut off.

"Your name is Denebola?" Rufus asked. "As in, the star?"  
"No; it's not important right now. What matters is that you three don't get taken from this base."  
"So, about this 'safety of the world' business," Prance quietly brought up. "Why are we important? I imagine the ambassador has something to do with it."  
"I was informed that the ambassador possesses bombs."  
"Like… explosives?" Bjorn inquired.  
"Yes, except the kind that wipe cities off the map in seconds."  
"Is that why Paddington mentioned Mapleton? We were told it was a—"  
"A meteor, I know. It was in the interest of public security to lie, but seeing as you are an integral part of this now, you should at least know this much."  
They looked at each other, uncertain of how they should take the news.  
"What about the other three?" Rufus asked.  
"Other three?" the coyote inquired.  
"There were six of us. Us three, plus—"  
"The ambassador is overseas with two; a snow leopard and a leopardess, if I recall, right?"  
"Yeah, but there were six. That's still only five."  
"The last one was the arctic fox, right? I was informed that he was killed by rabies; hence, Mapleton was destroyed, to prevent an outbreak. Many details were withheld from me, so I'm can't that I can't tell you any more. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."  
The trio held their heads low.  
"You three are to masquerade as soldiers; at least until the ambassador returns," the coyote ordered. "I will have to watch you from afar, to prevent rousing any suspicions. You'll find uniforms in your quarters. I've also arranged for easy positions for all of you; mostly clerical and janitorial duties. Dismissed."  
They exited in silence.

* * *

 **Sirius**

The wolf lazily reached to his side into a large bag of jerky, taking another piece and tossing it into his mouth. Sirius was mind-numbingly bored with the lack of attention or mammals to talk to. He had been hiding out in quite possibly the last place anyone would think to look for him: in his own home. At least, it was once his home. It still was, on a technicality.

Long ago, when he was a pup living with his parents out in the country, the home belonged to him. It was in the family for several generations before, as well; long before the industrialization of the world, they worked as simple smiths, fixing trinkets and utilities for the neighboring folks. After the invention of the steam engine, the modern world no longer had need for such professions, and they migrated over to medicine. His father, the famed Doctor Brynach Cynewulf, had helped perform the first successful coronary artery bypass surgery, saving a rhinoceros' life, and allowing him to live eight years more. His parents quickly made enough for a decent place closer in the city, and they gave the deed for the old house to him; at the time, having finished his degree and just gone into politics, he had no need for a home so far from the city; instead, he sold it, opting for a loft downtown. They never really supported his decision; several arguments and a right hook to his eye, and he broke off contact.

Sirius massaged his eye, momentarily stopping his reminiscing; how much he missed them, but bad blood was bad blood. Perhaps they would come around eventually; he certainly wouldn't be the one to apologize; after all, he became one of a thousand mammals that directly rule over the civilized world. Ruled, rather.

At any rate, having been inducted into the Court, he realized that he would need a safe-house off of their records, and he bought it back. Although he had numerous other locales at which he could hide, he had no doubt Savage already knew about them. Officially, the name on the deed belonged to an 'Archibald Wulford'. Of course, no such wolf existed.

Several days prior, when Sirius had realized he was being hunted, he trimmed his fur, dyed it, and fled the city. Thankfully, he had the foresight to stock up on food and supplies beforehand, seeing as it would be dangerous to go out now that he was a wanted mammal. Unfortunately, he wasn't very smart in how he stocked up: he brought food for several months, but when it came to potable water, he didn't think about it at all; his logic was that the home had running water, and he could drink that instead of spending money on bottled water. Of course, his logic didn't account for the fact that well water needed purification before drinking, and he never bought a water filter.

Another piece of jerky went into his mouth, before he buried his face in his paws. He couldn't keep eating jerky; it was heavily seasoned and salted, and with water already on short supply, he couldn't risk dehydrating himself. But he couldn't help it: it was just too good to pass up. He stood and walked several laps around the room. He didn't bother paying for cable, since he never anticipated living here for any extended period of time; the same with a house phone. Instead, he was forced to rely on his cell, and again, he lacked the foresight to bring a charger.

"What am I going to do?" he muttered, pacing back and forth. "Six days of water… closest store is two miles, I have no car…"  
He grabbed a pad of paper and began scrawling out the options. First, he immediately put 'store' on the top of the list. The second thing he wrote was 'get filter'. To him, the two were nearly hand-in-hand, but he would take one wherever he could get one.

Suddenly, his phone rang; he quickly answered it, longing to hear another voice.  
"Hello?" he asked.  
"So, Sirius, are you ever going to get a legal phone? Maybe one with GPS tracking?" the voice spoke; an all too familiar voice, belonging to Altair.  
"That's not how mammals should introduce themselves," Sirius berated. "But of course, you wouldn't know manners, would you, Jack?"  
"But in all honesty, your jerry-rigged phone is making it hard to track you down. Mind using your other phone?"  
"I broke my other phone when I tripped down the stairs," he sarcastically remarked.  
"Well, how about an address so I can come give you a new one?"  
"How about fuck yourself?" the wolf growled.  
"Wow, everyone loves telling me that, today."  
"Who else?" Sirius inquired.  
"My secretary, and if I recall, Betelgeuse did so, too. Several others, perhaps."  
"Maybe if you weren't evil, you'd be liked."  
"I'm not even evil, mammals just don't understand me."  
"Maybe because you're crazy, power-hungry, and insecure of your height and dick size?"

"Wow, I struck a nerve. Don't call me again unless you free Arcturus."  
"Oh, before you hang up," Savage quickly interjected, "You wouldn't happen to know an 'Archibald Wulford', would you?"  
"I think he was in my politics class, why do you ask?" Sirius answered without pause.  
"Oh, nothing… just an interesting deed popped up on my desk this afternoon, and I figured I'd swing by."  
"Honestly, do whatever."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, I'm sure this 'Archibald' mammal won't mind at all when you bust into his house and arrest him."  
"I'll make sure to stop by, then."  
"Fine by me."

As soon as Sirius hung up, he quickly sprinted up the stairs to the master bedroom, frantically searching the corners of the room; he eventually found what he was looking for: an old Schnauzer C96 handgun, antique but restored, still kept after the weapons ban passed several years prior. He locked every door he could find, and bolted the windows shut, before finding a spot near the entrance, in plain sight, hiding the firearm out of view. He hoped that no one would come, and in the event they did, he hoped that no one would recognize him; if he was found out, he reckoned he could manage to get a few shots off before they did, seeing as he had the element of surprise on his side.

* * *

 **Vega**

1 Month Prior

Neal came through the door and shut it; he hung his coat on the rack, wiped his paws on the mat, and quickly collapsed into a chair. He found that the table was already set for two, and that Lyra was already waiting for him.  
"Wow, you're home early," he commented, placing himself some chicken.  
"I thought I'd do something special; this is our one month anniversary, after all."  
"Has it been that long, already?" he asked, before tasting the food.  
"So Neal, how's dinner?"  
"Needs a bit more salt," he admitted, "But it's not you. The cold messes with—"  
"Salt reception, I entirely forgot." She walked and grabbed a salt shaker. "I always forget. I'll make sure to add more next time. In the mean time, I hope this will suffice."  
He thanked her, before lightly salting the dish.  
"How was work?" she inquired.  
"I had a lot of paperwork and shenanigans to deal with, today. Pretty awful."  
"Oh, I bet it was tiresome. I've considered taking some time off; maybe we could go on vacation together?"  
He held her paw.  
"That sounds lovely."

* * *

Present Day

Lyra sat alone at the table; this night, it was set for two, and she prepared food for two, as she had for the past several nights, afraid to admit that the second seat would never be taken again.  
"So Neal," she piped up, talking to the empty seat. "How's dinner?"  
Silence.  
"I'm sorry it's not salted enough. I do this every week, I feel like such a dunce. I'll make sure to add more next time. In the mean time…" She stood, walked to the kitchen, and returned with a salt shaker. "I hope this will do."  
She began absentmindedly digging into her food.  
"How was work?"  
The only sound was the gentle whirring of the ceiling fan.  
"Oh, I bet it was tiresome. I haven't been in for a few days, but…" She trailed off, her expression shifting into a sorrowful one, before flashing with anger as she slammed her fist into her plate, shattering it. "Damnit! I just want to hear your voice again!"  
Her yelling was in vain; there could be no second voice anymore.

She stood, tears streaming down her cheeks, before walking to the far desk in the corner of the room; once Neal's, it now held his urn, and a portrait of him. She had previously laid around it numerous flowers and candles, now wilted and burned to the stubs. She sat in the chair, and rested her chin against the desk.  
"You know," she muttered. "I miss you. I want to see you so much that it hurts."  
She stared at her reflection in the urn, before opening the drawer of the desk. Inside were various mementos and souvenirs from different times in Neal's life; of them, she held two the most: his badge, and his gun. This time, she opted to pick up the firearm; it felt strange in her paws, being far too heavy to be a tranquilizer, and slightly too large for a fox. He told her, back when he was among the living, that it was from his time with the ambassador; he trained with it, but never ended up using it. He said that he didn't prefer it as much as the 'railgun', whatever it was. No matter.

Lyra propped up her elbow on the desk, gun in paw, and leaned against the barrel, closing her eyes. She allowed her mind to drift, and found herself with Neal again. Nothing extravagant, but enough that she was content: she was holding his hand, sitting on a bench in the Tundratown park. He was talking about their plans for the future; what they would do after they got married, how he would find safer work… All it would take was—

Her daydreaming was cut short by a knock on the door; she quickly snapped awake, and stowed the gun back in the desk, gingerly closing it so as not to damage the wood. She slowly made her way to the door, looking through the peephole; no one. She rolled her eyes, and opened it anyways. Standing several inches below the hole's field of view was a rabbit; precisely the last rabbit she ever wanted to see: Jack Savage.  
"Vega, have a moment to talk?" he asked in a suave manner.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling into a very strained grin.  
"Well," he began, walking past her into her apartment. "I need to ask a favor of you."  
"You… want to ask a favor… of me…" She began to shake slightly.  
"You see," he spoke, running a finger along the table, as if to check for dust. "I would have asked your father, but he… wasn't available."  
"What is this… favor?" she hissed through her teeth.  
"Well, your father had a special virus that we used together for many years. It had a most curious property; a set of symptoms, rather. From what I understand, it attacked the brain, causing amnesia, and eventually dementia. I was hoping you would be able to spare me a few ampules."

Lyra slowly reached a shaking paw out to him, with a twisted grin still on her visage.  
"Are… are you okay?" Savage asked.  
She slowly wrapped her paw around his throat.  
"Why would you think otherwise?" she answered.  
"Well," he answered in a strained voice. "You sort of have me by the throat."  
"Is that a bad thing?" she inquired, reaching her second paw out and, too, slowly wrapping it around his neck.  
"That is a bad thing. Could you please release me?"  
She tightened her grip immensely, before lifting him off of the ground and shaking him senselessly. He began gasping and flailing about, before kicking her in the chin; unfazed, she slammed him onto the ground, and choked him harder.  
"You kill my Neal…" She lifted him and slammed him back onto the tiled floor. "Then you kill my father…" Again, but now tears were streaming down her cheeks. "And now you dare…" She brought him down harder; he was nearly unconscious. Despite his best efforts to break free, she held him at arms' length, and he simply couldn't reach her. "To ask a favor of me?"  
"I… take it… that's a… no?" he choked out.  
She leaned in very close and whispered right into his ear.  
"If I ever find you here again," she began. "I'll grab you…" She constricted with all of her strength, and Savage choked out a cough. "And I won't let go until you die. And don't even think about bringing those brutes of yours to do the heavy lifting. I'll weaponize that rabies strain so hard that you'll **_WISH_** the human did it. And there won't be any bombs to save you."  
On account of her choking him, he wasn't able to reply.  
"Do I make myself clear?!" she shouted straight into his ear. He barely managed to nod. She picked him up and threw him out; he flew unceremoniously, crashing into the hallway wall with a thud, before crumpling onto the floor. "That is," she spoke after him, "Unless you can raise the dead. I'll be all ears if you can bring Neal back. Until then, fuck off and die!"  
She slammed the door.

Immediately after she turned away, she heard another knock. She furiously opened the door to find Savage dusting himself off.  
"What if I told you I _could_ bring back the dead?" he asked.  
"I'd call you a liar and strangle you," she replied.  
"The arctic fox isn't dead. Not yet, at any rate."  
"You lie."  
"It's the truth, dear."  
"I saw him burn. I have his ashes!"  
"How do know it was him?"  
"My father took me to his cremation!"  
"Maybe three hours after you woke up; you were still groggy, if I recall. Strange of him to conduct a funeral six hours after death, considering your family tradition is to wait two days."  
She paused.  
"However, there was another arctic fox that had rabies," Savage continued. "A certain researcher that bit Neal, if I remember."  
"Not that I believe you, but why, then? Why would he lie to me?" she demanded.  
"If the human knew that he lived, then he would have expected a healthy fox within a week. You would never stop bothering your father about him. Imagine, instead, if we kept him sedated. We could experiment for weeks, months even. Of course, a little backlash from you two, but nothing we couldn't handle."  
"What about that serum that my father died for, this supposed 'cure-all'? What happened to it?!"  
"I told your father about it, but he convinced me, rather stupidly, that it would be a better idea to keep your boyfriend alive. He said the chance of replicating it were slim, to none. He argued that we could always attempt to isolate it from him after he was back amongst the living, as well as other important serums. Of course, we're still working on it; it's a complicated process. Besides, where you only had a very brief, very short-duration exposure to the virus, he was full-blown ill. Ergo, he's the only one with antibodies."  
"Why do you care about antibodies for an eradicated virus?"  
"We realized the chances of this happening again are slim, but not negligible. Despite increased security protocols, we can't keep anything absolutely secure. So, we prepare for the consequences."  
"So you kept Neal from me all this time?! And you let Mapleton get destroyed?!"  
"Well, a necessary loss. The town was already dead; better the human kill it than the rabies. Besides, it allows me to scapegoat him and Arcturus."  
"If you just let me know that he was alive, none of that would have happened!"  
"You think I don't know that?" he replied smugly.  
She could only stare in disgust.  
"I calculate everything, Lyra. Naturally, planning is easier than execution." He rubbed his ears. "I could have done without the staples, for instance. A necessary injury, however, seeing that we now have a prototype vaccine, and we're almost done isolating the metabolites of that 'panacea'."  
"Metabolites don't get you anywhere if you don't know how they degraded or came to be."  
"That's why we have the best."  
"You don't have me, Jack. You know I'm the best."  
"If you were the best, you would have sided with your father in the first place."  
She scowled.  
"So many holes in your story, rabbit," she spoke.  
"Like what?" Jack inquired.  
"You see… I'm the director of the BDC, now. I would have known about him being alive."  
"Not if he's at the military hospital."  
"Arcturus, then."  
"You really expect the head honcho of the entire armed forces to care about the patients in one military hospital?"  
She stared straight, breathing heavily.  
"Alright, I want proof. Evidence that he's alive. Take me to see him."  
"Of course; however, I need the virus once you see him."  
" _If_ I see him. We can negotiate _if_ I see him."  
"Alright, gather your things. Let's go."  
She quickly went around collecting various possessions, before meeting him at the door. As soon as he turned to leave, she jabbed a needle in his thigh.  
"Ah, what the hell is wrong with you! What did you do?!" he demanded.  
"Insurance. This is so you don't renege."  
"What did you do?" he seethed.  
"I'll tell you after I see Neal. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"  
"Of course not," he spoke through gritted teeth. "Let's go."  
"Where is this military hospital?"  
"We're not going there, yet. We need to fetch Atria from the lodge."  
"Why?"  
"Atria is just about the only mammal keeping your fox alive."

* * *

 **Bogo**

Chief Bogo sat at his desk working on numerous large stacks of paperwork, before he was interrupted by a knock on the door.  
"Enter."  
In came Grizzoli, with several small folders.  
"More warrants, Chief; you asked that any more get passed by you, first." Bogo nodded, and Grizzoli dropped them on the desk before exiting.

Bogo leafed through the folders. Heads of large companies, judges, senators… something seemed off. He was receiving orders from the ZSS to arrest dozens of mammals on charges ranging from perfidy and conspiracy, to, in the case of one senator, cannibalism. Of course, he had no direct evidence to support these claims, and he was given none; it was assumed that he would comply with their request.

He was very suspicious of the sudden influx of orders, and especially on such important mammals. Without an explanation, he didn't want to do anything. He picked up the desk phone, and dialed an outside line.  
"Secret Service, Clerical and Bureaucratic Department, you've reached the front desk," spoke the voice on the other end.  
"Yes, this is Police Chief Bogo. Have the director call me back at his earliest convenience, regarding the enormous piles of warrants he keeps dumping on my desk," Bogo responded.  
"Director Savage is very busy, and doesn't make visits without an appointment."  
"Tell him that if he wants these warrants served, he needs to call me back. Him, personally, what with his name being on the paperwork and all."  
The secretary stuttered for several moments, before acknowledging his request.  
"He should be able to reach you sometime in the next five business days."  
"Ask him to expedite the process, while you're at it."

Bogo hung up, again leafing through the warrants; perhaps there was a link he was missing? He picked up the phone again, and this time, made an internal call to records.  
"Chief, what can I do for you?" the records staff inquired.  
"I need all the files we have on…" He systematically began naming the mammals from the files; Cynewulf, Concor, Karahan, Leister, and eight others.  
"Up to your office?"  
"Yes."  
"Alright, give me fifteen minutes, I'll have everything ready and up in your office."  
He slowly placed the phone back in the cradle, and leaned back, closing his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, on the dot, there was a knock on his door.  
"Records sent me, Chief," Grizzoli spoke. "Can you get the door?"  
He stood and opened it, before taking two large boxes chock-full of papers.  
"This is so much! I only listed a dozen mammals," Bogo complained, setting the boxes on his desk.  
"Well, surprised me, too. I hope you find what you're looking for." Grizzoli exited once more.  
"I hope so, too," Bogo muttered quietly.

Several hours of reading revealed only the obvious; they were all mammals of some importance or another, and many of them had a very quick rise to fame and power. Bogo closed the record he was looking at and rubbed at his eyes. The day was nearly over, and he had gotten no closer than he had started. He may as well have started collecting information important to their arrest.

He began looking at their addresses; Tundratown, Savannah Central, and… some road he didn't recognize. He quickly looked it up in his computer and found it was just a few miles outside of the city.  
"Strange," he muttered. "Head of an oil company, and can't afford a spot closer in the city."  
As he read more and more records, he quickly realized many of them shared that same address. More searches revealed nothing; he expected some name, something of value, seeing how seven fairly large mammals couldn't possibly share a single home comfortably. He dialed records again.  
"Yes, Chief?"  
"What information do we have on the address, 1 Linnaeus Drive?"  
"Have you already checked your computer records?"  
"Yes, and nothing."  
"I'll check the papers, but I don't think there's anything there that won't be in the system." A several minute pause, before he heard a reply. "Nothing. Sorry, Chief."  
"Very well. Thank you," he responded, hanging up.

He stood and grabbed his coat. If there were answers to be found, they would be at 1 Linnaeus Drive.

* * *

The drive was long and uneventful, and he was hindered by traffic every step of the way. Eventually, though, he found the address that he was looking for; he exited, and looked up the hill. It was quite a climb, but nothing he couldn't handle.

It took him several minutes to reach the top, where he found a grand-looking building overlooking a lake shore. Serene, perhaps even scenic, but he wasn't there to gawk at the sights. Bogo entered, and found that the inside of the building looked like a pompous hotel. He quickly looked around, and saw a goat in black uniform behind the desk.  
"May I help you, sir?" he was asked.  
"I'm looking for several mammals." Bogo handed over a sheet of paper with names. "Their permanent residence is listed as being here."  
"And you are?"  
"Police Chief Bogo."  
"My apologies, Chief Gogo, I simply didn't recognize you."  
"Bogo," he corrected.  
"Well, they haven't been to their rooms in the past few days, so I'm afraid the information I have is no more than what you already know."  
"Can you take me to their—"  
Bogo was interrupted as two mammals came from a second set of double doors that connected the lobby to the inside of the building.  
"Perhaps we can find Atr…" The rabbit trailed off as he saw Bogo's intense stare beaming down at him.  
"Director Savage," Bogo began, annoyed. "I assume this is why you couldn't return my call. And who is this with you?"  
The vixen extended her paw.  
"Doctor Karahan. Pleasure."  
"Karahan? As in, Doctor Lyra Karahan?"  
"Yes, why? Do I know you from somewhere?" she inquired. From behind her, Savage was making a 'stop' motion to Bogo.  
"No, I have a warrant for your arrest."  
"What, why? What charges?"  
"Perfidy and Conspiracy. In fact, your warrant came from none other than Director Savage." Bogo pulled her close by her paw and cuffed it, before wrapping it behind her back and cuffing her second one.  
"What?! Jack! You set me up!" she shouted.  
"No, this must be some misunderstanding!" he hastily responded. "Surely you can rescind the order, Bogo?"  
"If you have a grievance with the department proceedings, you may file a complaint at the front desk _after_ the arrest." He gave a wicked grin, and pulled on Lyra's arms, tugging her with him. "Let's go."  
"NO!" she screamed, biting his arm. He immediately slammed her onto the ground before fitting a muzzle on her, strapping it very tight. "JACK!" She was taken out the door; the rabbit quickly gave chase.  
"I issued that warrant, I reserve the right to rescind it," he demanded.  
"Oh, really?" Bogo replied, practically carrying the fox with him. "If you have a problem, talk to the courts."  
"Oh, I will, and you will lose your job over this," he seethed.  
"The courts won't fire me because I served a warrant, Director Savage. Now, I have my job, and you have yours. I don't tell you how to do yours, even though I would very much like to. Got the idea? Good. Day." He reached his vehicle, before throwing her in the back seat and taking the driver's position. He started the engine, but was stalled by Lyra banging her head repeatedly against the window. He repositioned her to the middle seat, wound the seatbelt around her, and got back in, before driving off.

* * *

 **Jack**

"Fuck," he muttered. He was going to die, unless some miracle happened and he was able to get her out of jail. Normally it would be an easy task, but since he was the one that issued the warrant, he was powerless. It was a very foolish miscalculation; he anticipated getting the vial from her, and having her removed from the picture, how could he have known she would have poked him for insurance?

Jack began pacing. He needed a plan. No, more than a plan; he needed help. He dialed his secretary.  
"Yes, Mr. Savage?" she inquired.  
"I need you to check up on the mammals in the east."  
"The ones you had us bomb?"  
"Not over the phone! But, yes. Those ones."  
Several minutes of typing. And murmuring in the background of the call. Jack tapped his foot against the ground while he waited, unable to control his nervous fidgeting.  
"Alright, it appears one survived," she eventually answered.  
"One? Which one, where?"  
"The rabbit, a Miss… Judy Hopps."  
"And the others?" he inquired.  
"We have no information at this time."  
"No satellite photos?" He was losing his patience.  
"It takes time to position a satellite; I'm sorry, Mr. Savage."  
"Where is she right now?"  
"The Sagarmatha Port Central Hospital."  
Savage thought for several moments.  
"Have her taken back home. The military hospital, to be precise."  
"Sir? That would take a lot of resources."  
"I know what I'm doing. Let me know when she arrives."  
"Very well, Sir. Oh, and Mr. Savage?"  
"Yes?"  
"We dug up a few more files on Dr. Cynewulf, if you were interested. They're on your desk."  
"Which doctor? I asked for files on the senator and any relatives he was in contact with for the past three years. He wasn't in contact with any of his family in the past three years, unless you misinformed me?"  
"I was referring to the senator, Mr. Savage."  
Jack rolled his eyes so hard that he thought his retinas would detach.  
"A law degree does not a doctor make," he stated.  
"Technically, he is a Doctor of Jurisprudence, and also holds a Doctorate in Juridical Science."  
"Karen…" Jack began.  
"I'm sorry, Sir."  
"I have a fairly good idea about where he is, anyways. I'll check back if I'm wrong."  
"Sounds like a plan, Sir."

He heard a small click, indicating that she had hung up. He placed several more calls, primarily to attempt to arrange Vega's release, and to secure transportation to the home of 'Archibald Wulford'. While he waited for the black car to arrive, he began coughing violently. He attributed it to paranoia; after all, he couldn't think of any biological agent that could act within mere hours.

The ride was much longer than he anticipated, taking slightly over an hour. He really hoped that the target was actually Sirius, else he would have wasted an enormous sum of time for naught. He and two agents that were accompanying him walked to the door, giving a slight knock. Inside, he saw a very unfamiliar figure; not inherently a bad sign, but not reassuring. The wolf gave no reaction, continuing to read his newspaper, so they knocked again. This time, he lowered the paper to look towards the door, before getting up to open it by a hair.  
"Who are you lot?" he questioned gruffly. The voice was unrecognizable, and he spoke with a thick accent.  
"I am Agent Jack Savage, of the ZSS. Are you Archibald Wulford?"  
"I prefer 'Archie'. What do you want?" He cocked an eye.  
"We were hoping to take a look around. You see, we're looking for a—"  
"No."  
"Well…" Jack fished out a paper from inside his jacket. "I have a warrant."  
The wolf looked it over, before glancing up at them.  
"This has tomorrow's date on it. And the name is wrong. What are you trying to pull?"  
Jack motioned to his agents, who forced the door open.  
"Hey, hey!" the wolf shouted. The trio quickly entered, closing the door behind themselves. They began strolling around, looking for anything that would potentially give away the wolf's real identity; however, nearly twenty minutes of search revealed nothing.

Suddenly, Jack noticed something in the air; he sniffed, at first subtly, and then with a deep breath.  
"I know this smell," he stated.  
"Of course, everyone who's anyone knows how a wolf's den smells!" the wolf complained. "Are you satisfied, yet?!"  
"No, this isn't wolf smell…" Another sniff. "Heavily spiced, a hint of pepper, and… honey barbecue? That is the smell of man's food."  
The wolf's eyes went wide.  
"Arrest him," Jack commanded. He looked down to his phone while he allowed his agents to handle the mammal, checking the status on Vega's release. What he didn't anticipate were the two sharp cracks that follows, the spray of blood that splashed across his face, and his agents falling before him. He quickly snapped his eyes up to see an antique gun pointed at him.

In an instant, he leaped, slapping the wolf's arm to the side and placing him in a triangle choke. The wolf stumbled around a bit, slamming Jack into several walls, firing the gun blindly; one shot struck Jack in the arm, weakening his grip, giving the wolf an opportunity to grab him by the neck with free paw. They stood for several seconds, Jack's legs wrapped around the wolf's neck, and the wolf's paw wrapped around his. In one quick swoop, the wolf pulled him closer, and wrapped his jaws around his ribs.

Immediately, he felt an immense crushing pressure on his chest; he couldn't breathe, and he felt his ribs crack inside of the canine's jaws. He flailed his uninjured arm, beating the wolf's snout, before eventually managing to reach his pocket knife and forcing it into the wolf's eye. The wolf immediately dropped both Jack and the gun to the floor, screaming and stumbling around aimlessly. Jack took those previous few moments to pick up the gun, and shoot the wolf several times.

Once the wolf stopped making any major movements, only whimpering and fidgeting, Jack lowered his weapon, calling for an airlift to the hospital.  
"D-d… damn you, Jack," the wolf spat out, rolling onto his back, clutching at his eye. "Why wouldn't you just leave me alone?"  
"Good fight, but you should know that this is the end, Sirius. You're coming back with me, and you're going to sit in jail until I fulfill my goals."  
"Jail?" he muttered, voice quieter than before. "You shot me four times. You stabbed me in my fucking eye! What jail?!"  
"Well… Jail, handcuffed to a hospital bed, same thing." Jack coughed violently, producing dark red blood. He quickly wiped his mouth on his cuff. "Bastard, you pierced my lungs!"  
"I didn't… bite that hard…" Sirius was now gasping for air. "And lung blood… is bright red…"  
"How would you know?"  
"My father was… only the premier… surgeon in the city…"  
"So you pierced my stomach. It doesn't matter. I won't die. In the end, I'll get what I want, and you'll face trial."  
"And what… do you want?" Sirius barely managed to say.  
"Well, you see, Sirius: we are not so different from man."  
"You'd better… shorten this… I'm feeling… tired…"  
Jack sighed.  
"I will be on top of the world, with or without the help of the human," he finally stated.  
"You're not… going to get his help… by killing his friends…"  
"It is better to be feared, than to be loved, if you cannot be both," Jack stated, sitting on the floor next to Sirius. He began applying pressure to the gunshot wounds.  
"For your sake…" Sirius began in a low whisper, "I hope whatever ails you… kills you before Procyon returns…"  
"To be honest, I hate that I had to do this to you. You just picked the wrong side," Jack responded, ignoring Sirius' comment.  
"And… what are… the sides?"  
"Think, one united world, all under a guiding hand! There is only one side, and that is the side for the betterment of all mammal-kind."  
"We… already had… the Court…"  
"You'll never understand, then."  
"I… guess… not…"  
Sirius continued breathing heavily, before closing his eyes and resting his head on the floor. He continued breathing very shallow breaths until the helicopter arrived.

* * *

 **A/N: Hopefully this is better than last chapter. I know that the word 'Interlude' now had bad connotations, but whatever. Muahaha, my evil plan is coming to fruition: all I had to do was put out a very unconventional, arguably bad chapter, and now I can post anything and you'll think it's good!**

 **No, not really. I just misjudged what you guys wanted, and that's my fault. I heard your cries for mercy, and those of terror and fear, so I've taken the liberty of getting rid of the previous chapter altogether. If you're one of the maybe two people that enjoyed it, just PM me and I'll send you a link to it. This chapter is also unnumbered, since it's the replacement for last chapter; the major difference being that this chapter is plot important. I figured with this chapter I would follow the side characters, before going back to the main crew. The next real chapter is probably going to come out tomorrow, or in like six hours.**

 **Now, if you all promise to forget the last chapter existed, I promise I won't write another one like it for this story.**

 **Title - Every action has consequences: in this case, most of the characters are dealing with Kai's shenanigans, but Jack also has the consequences of his own actions to worry about now.**

 **How many lies do you think Jack told this chapter?**

* * *

Unnumbered Fun Fact: The Weierstrass function is a special function that is continuous everywhere, but differential nowhere. What this means is that you can't find the slope at any point.


	39. Chapter XXXIV: The Wild East

**The Himalayas  
Several Hours Prior**

Three hours after break of dawn, the party resumed their journey along the path; everyone carried their own weight, save for Nick, who had to be carried by Kai. They trekked for hours, stopping only for the most basic needs. After turning one way on a divide, Felix quickly protested.  
"Hey, wait! That path leads down to the river valley, not to Edo," he quickly piped up, seeing where Kai was turning.  
"Yes, I know."  
"Wait, we're going to the river valley? Why?" Leora complained.  
"First and foremost, I'm carrying the wounded; I have experience with these matters, and I know how to deal with them."  
"Did you just… refer to me as 'the wounded'?" Nick mumbled, nearly incoherently.  
"What's wrong with him?" Felix asked.  
"Nothing's wrong," Nick muttered in response, ears drooped.  
"Nick, remember that time I entered your apartment, right around where Judy got shot?" Kai reminded.  
"You mean when you broke in?"  
"Remember that shot I made you take?"  
"What about it?"  
"This is what happens when you don't take that shot."  
Nick stared up for several moments, before letting his head fall back.  
"Damnit," he muttered.  
"Meaning?" Leora inquired.  
"Blood poisoning," the man elaborated. "He's got a fever, and if we don't get him some medical attention soon, I fear for the worst."  
"And you expect some slum town in the valley to have advanced medicine?" Felix argued.  
"No, I expect them to have peroxide, or at least alcohol, bandages, and level ground."  
"What about scalpels, sutures, antibiotics, or everything else?!"  
"I already have everything save for the antibiotics, which I keep separately, in my field kit."  
"What kind of field kit doesn't have antibiotics or sterilization?"  
"The kind not made for a lay mammal."  
"Your kind of kit, then," Leora commented.  
"Precisely."  
"Why not give him the antibiotics now, and wait until the next village in the direction of Edo?" she asked.  
"I could, but given the foreign object in his leg, and the fact that it's still an open, albeit bound wound, anything I can give him will only last a day before he'll need more. The sooner he gets his leg properly patched up, the faster I can give him the antibiotics."  
Felix gently shook his head in disagreement.  
"Fine," Leora mentioned. "I can stop for him."  
"It wasn't up to you, but I'm glad you agree," Kai responded, continuing down the path.

Roughly an hour later, the incline leveled out, and the terrain changed from rocky to hilly and more-or-less green. Around a mile away, they could see a large collection of shacks and homes centered around a group of hills. They proceeded there, and shortly after, arrived to find a village of farmers. When they entered along a rocky path, several mammals came out to see who they were; it appeared they seldom received visitors.

They began to talk amongst themselves, pointing and staring.  
"I think we have a problem," Felix muttered quietly to the rest of his party.  
"That being?" Kai responded.  
"I don't recognize the dialect. Either that, or they're just mumbling too quietly for me to get a good listen."  
"That's because they're not speaking your language at all. In fact, it sounds like a regional dialect of Yue Chinese. Strange, considering we can't be even remotely close to mainland China right now; perhaps we crossed over into one of its satellite states inadvertently."  
Kai approached one of the villagers, Nick in his arms, and began conversing with them.  
" _Could you spare some supplies? One of ours is injured._ "  
The farmer appeared taken aback, but quickly gained his bearings and responded.  
" _Why should we spare anything for you? We have our own wounded to take care of._ "  
" _Wounded?_ " Kai inquired. " _May I take a look?_ "  
The farmer contemplated for a while, before motioning for him to follow. Kai and the others went after him into a fairly large, comparatively well-built shelter. The inside was fashioned into a makeshift hospital, with several cots forming two rows on the inside, and curtains separating them. Small, inadequate stocks of supplies were interspersed along the walls. In the far corner, it appeared that three of the beds were taken, and one of them was surrounded by various bystanders.

Kai set the fox down on the closest bed, before walking to the far end to inspect the three patients. As he pulled one of the curtains back, he saw a rather well-built tiger with blood-soaked bandages around his waist; the second curtain hid behind it another tiger, with leg set in a makeshift splint. The final curtain shielded a red wolf, with a seeping chest wound; he appeared to be close to death, and was surrounded by many mourners.  
" _What happened?_ " Kai questioned.  
" _Hunting accident,_ " the farmer hastily explained.  
" _This was no accident._ "  
" _If you can't help them, then get lost!_ "  
" _I can, but I need to know what happened._ "  
The farmer looked over his shoulder, then walked to the door, before peering left and right through the doorway.  
" _Junfa, the local warlord._ "  
Kai raised a brow.  
" _Warlord?_ _What does he want from you?_ "  
" _He antagonizes us for food._ "  
" _And you just give it to him?_ "  
The farmer motioned to the mammals in the cots.  
" _Would you defy him?_ "  
" _It's not my problem,_ " Kai stated. " _But if I help them, will you spare supplies?_ "  
" _Yes._ "  
" _So what am I looking at, here?_ "  
" _Han had his leg broken after refusing to part with his chickens; his brother, Fu, was stabbed after intervening. Wen was shot as a message for the rest of us not to try resisting._ "  
" _How long ago?_ "  
" _Only a few hours._ "

Kai knelt above the tiger with the bloody-bandages, who he presumed to be Fu. The tiger was breathing heavily, but appeared to be awake.  
" _Fu?_ " Kai asked.  
The tiger hummed in response. Kai removed the pack from his shoulders, and retrieved several antibiotics from a pillcase, and handed them to the tiger.  
" _Take these._ " He obeyed, and Kai began cutting away at his bandages; when he asked around, he was given new ones, and proceeded to pack the wound. After minimal protest, he was done, and moved on to the next tiger; presumably Fu's brother, Han. A quick observation revealed that the leg was set incorrectly. He undid the splint, aligned the leg, and bound it tight.

When he went to the third patient, he knew there was very little he would be able to do without better equipment; he had seen these types of wounds before, and his knowledge of field medicine with antique, or even ancient equipment was rather limited. The bullet wound was situated above his right lung, and the wolf was pulling in rasped, gurgling breaths at infrequent intervals. He pushed aside the crowd of spectators, and, using his knife, quickly sheared the fur around the entry wound, before applying pressure.  
" _Can you save him?_ " someone asked.  
" _Do you have a pack of cigarettes?_ " Kai responded urgently.  
" _Oh no,_ " the crowd began to utter, shedding tears for their friend.  
" _Not for smoking_ _. I need plastic, cellophane. Something like the wrapping on a box of cigarettes._ "  
Unquestioning, several members of the crowd fished in their pockets, before one produced a pack. Kai removed the cellophane, layed it over the wound, and used some tape from the supplies nearby to secure it on three sides. He began searching through the piles around the room, before Leora inquired what he was looking for.  
"A tube," he responded. "His lung is collapsed, and I need to put a tube in his chest. Find something."  
She and Felix began rummaging, before Felix returned with some thin vinyl aquarium tubing.  
"Will this do?" he asked.  
Kai grabbed it, before cutting a short length, and sharpening one end. He turned his attention to the wolf, shaving a second small patch of fur on the right side of his chest.  
" _Exhale,_ " he commanded. The wolf made several attempts, coughing up bright foaming blood every time he tried to empty his lungs of air. Eventually, he managed to comply, although he bore an extremely pained expression. Kai pressed down on his chest, and jammed the sharpened tube through the previously shaved patch, holding the wolf in place to prevent him from squirming too much. After a short while, his cries died down, and Kai let go after securing the tube in place. He took another two pills from the case, setting them on the bedside table, before giving the wolf an injection.  
" _Have him take those when he wakes up._ "

Kai pillaged a few supplies from their stores, before returning to Nick. The farmer quickly quickly ran back up to him from the three's bedsides.  
" _You can't be done! We don't know how to make him better, or what to do now!_ " he complained.  
" _Call a real doctor. I've done what I can, and he'll live for another week at least._ "  
" _So you're not a doctor?_ _Why did you stab him, then?!_ "  
" _I know field medicine, and he had a collapsed lung. Like I said, call a real doctor._ "  
" _But…_ "  
" _No_ _buts_ _,_ _and u_ _nless someone else starts dying, I need some room._ "  
The farmer bowed his head out of respect, and left him with his party.  
"So, now what?" Felix asked.  
"Give me some cloth, soak it in alcohol."  
They quickly brought what he asked. He set it aside for the moment, before unwrapping the bandage on Nick's leg; the wound was now very swollen, and the plastic shard was now further embedded than before. He quickly washed it with the cloth, much to Nick's displeasure.  
"No more," the fox begged.  
"Find anesthetic," Kai commanded of the others.  
"What anesthetic? This is a shack in a rural village!" Felix argued.  
"Ether or chloroform; hell, if it comes down to it, a glass of vodka or whiskey."  
Several minutes of search returned nothing, and they returned with a bottle of alcohol.  
"Alright, Nick," Kai spoke gently, handing him the bottle and moving him into an upright position. "I need you to get very drunk in the next… oh, I'd say five minutes."  
"What for?" Nick muttered.  
"Unless you want me to put you through surgery while sober."  
Nearly instantly, the fox began chugging the bottle; after it was half-empty, the man took it from him.  
"Hey!" Nick complained.  
"Drunk, not dead," Kai corrected, laying the fox back on the table. Shortly after, he snapped his fingers next to the fox's ears to check his reflexes, before asking, "How are you feeling?"  
Nick could only give a weak thumbs up, before dropping his paw back to the cot.

Kai quickly assessed the shard of plastic, giving it a slight tug; Nick yelped, and tried to stop him. It appeared that the plastic had barbed and flared out, preventing its removal. He figured it would be better to make a clean cut and remove it, than to tear it out and risk peripheral damage. He took out his knife, cleaned it with the soaked rag, and nearly made his first cut, before a frantic tigress ran in and began shouting.  
" _He's back!_ "  
" _What do you mean?!_ " the farmer responded. " _Who?_ "  
" _Junfa!_ "  
" _We already gave him the month's grain and livestock, what more does he want?!_ "  
"What's going on?" Leora asked, amidst the fray.  
"It appears the warlord that injured the three in the corner came back," Kai answered, concentrating on his cut.  
"And you're going to proceed?"  
"Why not? Their warlord isn't my problem unless he makes himself my problem." He made two clean cuts to either side, before quickly yanking the plastic out and applying firm pressure with the alcohol-laced cloth. "Hold, please."  
Leora took his place holding the cloth, while he began fishing for his field kit.  
" _WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?_ " shouted a loud voice from outside.  
"Should we be worried?" Leora inquired.  
"Not in the slightest; lift the rag, please."  
She lifted the rag, and he brought a small instrument to the site; several audible zaps later and the blood stopped flowing. He stowed it, grabbing the cloth back from Leora. While he was wiping the wound clean, someone kicked the door in.

Everyone, save for Kai, brought their attention to the door; standing there was a tall bison, horns sheared, and missing an eye.  
" _The grain you gave me was moldy!_ " he shouted, stomping his way towards the farmer; behind him, two thugs with shotguns blocked the entrance.  
" _I-I'm sorry!_ " the farmer responded, before being picked up and thrown across several cots by his garments. " _You took all we had!_ "  
" _What you_ _ **had**_ _wasn't good…_ " He trailed off, as he noticed Kai operating on Nick. " _Who are you?_ "  
Kai didn't answer, and the farmer answered on his behalf, lest they face consequences.  
" _He's the surgeon that saved Wen._ "  
The bison walked over to the corner, and pulled back the curtain; he quickly began laughing, before walking back.  
" _You had a doctor, and you didn't tell me?_ " the bison interrogated, kicking the farmer back onto the ground.  
" _No, he just came!_ "  
" _Well then. You, surgeon. You're coming with me._ "  
Kai continued ignoring him, instead binding Nick's leg with clean gauze.  
" _Did you not hear me?!_ " He stomped over, and grabbed Kai's arm; the man slapped him away. " _How dare you!_ "  
" _I will say this only once, and I intend on making it very clear,_ " Kai began, standing up. " _You will get out of my way, and you will do it now._ "  
The bison waved his hoof and the two thugs at the door walked up to him, shotguns raised.  
" _Looks like you have no choice._ "  
" _You're right, you do leave me no choice._ " He quickly landed a kick on one of the thugs, knocking them to the ground, before stealing the second's weapon, killing them both with it. He slowly pressed it to the bison's forehead. " _Out._ "

The mammal grumbled a bit, but eventually left through the door of the makeshift hospital; when he was outside, Kai kicked the back of his knee, knocking him to the ground, before placing the shotgun at the back of his head and firing, sending a spray of blood across the dirt. Once the deed was done, he threw the gun to the ground and returned to Nick's bedside. He began reaching once more into his pack, before the farmer angrily interrupted him.  
" _What have you done?!_ "  
" _I took care of your problem._ "  
" _He wasn't alone! Now when more of his gang come, what will we say?_ "  
Kai sighed.  
" _Fine,_ " he stated. " _Where do they hide out? If it's on the way, I'll get the rest of them for you._ "  
" _The road west will take you there._ "  
" _I'm sorry, I don't need to go west._ "  
The farmer only had a look of shock and disgust on his face, before storming off.

"What did you say to him?" Leora asked.  
"He insists me killing the warlord will bring him trouble, and I offered to help with the rest of the thugs if they were on the way," Kai responded.  
"And?"  
"They aren't on the way." He removed from his pack a small syringe, before injecting its contents into Nick's arm.  
"What's that?"  
"Antibiotics."  
"Why not pills?"  
"You want me to give him pills right after he drank half a bottle?"

They put their belongings to one side, and just before they sat back down, they heard a voice from behind.  
"You had better leave," it spoke, in thick-accented English.  
They turned around; it was the farmer.  
"You speak common?" Leora asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell us?"  
"You didn't ask. You caused enough trouble, and you won't fix it. Get out of our village."  
Leora gave a sad sigh.  
"Come on, Kai. You can go out of your way for these mammals, right?"  
He, too, sighed, contemplating for a moment.  
"If I take care of them, will you let us stay?" Kai inquired.  
"Yes," the farmer responded. "As long as you need."  
"Alright, I'll go; it's not like Nick's in any condition to move for the next few hours, anyways." He removed and assembled a rifle from his pack, securing it to his back. "How far is this post of theirs?"  
"Along the West road, two hours by car."  
"I'll do it in one," Kai responded, exiting.

* * *

 **Thirty-Five Minutes Later  
Twenty Miles West**

Kai couldn't understand why the journey was two hours by car; the road was bad, but it was fairly short. Just off of the side of the road, he saw what looked like a granary, surrounded by several trucks. There were several mammals performing various tasks, from moving crates to chopping wood, all about the grounds. The entire time he was walking towards them, he got very evil glares thrown his way. He approached one of them.  
" _Who is in charge?_ " he asked.  
" _What's it to you?_ " they responded.  
" _Does the name 'Junfa' mean anything?_ "  
" _So you do know the boss. Why ask stupid questions, then?_ "  
" _Junfa is dead. If you don't want to follow him to hell, then you will leave the village in the East alone. Forever._ "  
" _Junfa can't be dead,_ " they retorted, laughing. " _He would wipe the floor with a wolf like you!_ "  
" _I take it you won't be following my advice, then?_ "  
One of them approached with an ax.  
" _No, but I think that while we wait for Junfa, we should just have some fun with you!_ "  
He swung the ax overhead, and Kai caught it by the shaft.  
" _I agree._ "  
Kai broke the ax at the shaft just beneath where he held it, and swung it around, embedding it very deep through the attacker's shoulder, nearly hewing him in two.

The sound of gunfire prompted him to retreat behind cover; while he was hiding, everyone else scrambled away, presumably to find guns of their own. When he heard a gunshot far to the right, he immediately swung around and returned fire; the noise from that direction fell silent.

One by one, he picked them off, until eventually, someone voiced their surrender. Two quickly followed suit, throwing their arms up in defeat, slowly making their way to the clearing before him.  
" _You won't attack the village anymore?_ " Kai inquired.  
" _No, no!_ " one of them replied. In that moment, Kai's phone began to ring. As he looked down to his pockets, one of the thugs took the opportunity to draw his gun, attempting to point it at him. Kai quickly slapped it away, before taking his skull between his hands and crushing it nearly flat. The others could only look on in horror as their comrade's blood splashed onto them. They began backpedaling until their backs hit the wall, and they collapsed onto the ground. Kai slowly approached them, rifle in hand.  
" _You won't attack the village?_ " he repeated.  
" _No!_ " they promised.  
" _Good. I'll just make sure._ " He raised his rifle and shot them both, before fishing into his vest for his phone.

"You nearly got me killed; who is this?" he inquired.  
"Procyon, I have bad news," spoke a familiar voice; a very worried voice.  
"Sirius?"  
"Altair knows where I am. He's coming for me."  
"Just sit quiet. Don't do anything stupid or rash."  
"But he'll kill me!"  
"No, he won't," Kai reassured. "He's not stupid enough to do that."  
"I don't want to believe you, but fine. In any case, I have a gun."  
"Do NOT do anything stupid," Kai reiterated. "Don't give him a reason to kill you."  
"I'm in disguise, a pretty good one, anyways. Almost as good as you, I might say."  
"Right. Just stay hidden, and hope he doesn't find you."  
"He won't recognize me even if he does."  
"If he does, don't fight him, just go peacefully."  
"Fine!" Sirius said with an exasperated tone. "Fine, but you need to come back as soon as you can."  
"I still have business to take care of back here, I'm sorry."  
Sirius mumbled incoherently.  
"Just hurry!" he eventually managed, before hanging up.

Kai wondered what Savage's endgame could be; he stood in silence for several moments, before he realized he still had to get back to the village. He took one of the trucks, and loaded it up with supplies, before setting back. The drive took him only an hour, given the abysmal state of the road, but when he arrived, he saw the villagers retreating into their homes; the farmer that sent him stood defiantly in the middle of the road.

When he exited, the farmer breathed a sigh of relief.  
" _How did it go?_ " he asked.  
" _They won't be a problem anymore._ " He patted the side of the truck. _"I brought some supplies back._ "  
" _What do we owe you?!_ " the farmer asked, astonished.  
Kai thought for a while.  
" _Just a place for the night, while the fox recovers._ "  
As the farmer walked away, Felix approached.  
"So, what did you get from him?" he inquired.  
"Nothing," Kai responded.  
"What? Why not? You just saved all of their lives!"  
"We don't need anything that they have; besides, they need their supplies more than we do."  
"Not _two hours_ ago you were begging for supplies!"  
"Only for surgery. Now that that's done, I don't need anything."  
Felix only grumbled and walked away; he bumped into Leora on his way into the makeshift hospital.  
"Asshole," she muttered, walking up. "What's his deal?"  
"I didn't take any supplies from the farmers."  
"Seriously? That's it?"  
"It's not important. Listen, I might have to renege on our arrangement."  
"What do you mean?" she raised a brow.  
"I have to go back to Zootopia. The city's falling apart without me."  
"You give yourself too much credit."  
"Savage is arresting too many people. If I wait too long, the damage might become irreversible."  
"But… what about—"  
He patted her on the shoulder.  
"Maybe when I fix up the West."  
"I… I'll come with you!"  
"You sure?" he asked.  
"Yeah, I'm up for some fun," she replied, smiling. He nodded.

They walked into the hospital; there, Nick was rubbing his eyes, and Felix was sitting on the bed next to him, casually drinking.  
"Alright," Kai announced to them. "We're heading back to the monastery. It should only take us two days, at most."  
"Why? I thought we were going to Edo," Felix questioned.  
"Change of plans. Zootopia calls."  
"Well, the sooner we get back, the better," he replied, content with himself.  
"You really think I'll be good to walk by tomorrow?" Nick slurred.  
"I'll carry you if need be."  
"Where to, from the monastery?" Leora inquired.  
"Hopefully, helicopter to the military base, and from there, a plane back."  
"Where are you gonna get a helicopter?" Felix inquired.  
"I came with a pilot."  
"And, if I might add, why not bring it here, then?"  
"It's not smart to fly over a continuous mountain range. If there's a system failure, there's no level ground to land on."  
"Fair enough." Felix sighed. "Why is it we can't ever catch a break?"  
"I'm sorry; I've been driving you all like slaves. Hopefully when we get back, you can get some rest."

* * *

 **A/N: The consistent chapter numbering is so nice.**

 **Sorry if there are any typos, I've been busy working on class projects and assignments. This chapter is a bit short, and the next chapter is probably going to be set back in Zootopia. In case any of you are slightly confused by the timing, this chapter is supposed to occur concurrently with the last chapter.**

 **No special meaning in this chapter title; I was just listening to a western music playlist when I wrote the bulk of this chapter, and it takes place in the East, and it seems appropriate. I'm probably missing out on a great play on words, but I've had some (I hope) really good ones already, so it's fine.**

 **I'll be heinously busy next week, so I'll try my best to get the next chapter out before the weekend, but no guarantees. My priorities are, in order:  
1\. Machine code assembly program  
2\. 3 labs  
3\. Smart Pathing algorithm  
4\. Beethoven's Tempest 3rd movement as a birthday gift  
5\. ~4 miscellaneous homeworks  
6\. Next chapter  
But obviously I can't carry a piano or expensive three-thousand dollar university-licensed software and hardware with me wherever I go, so I'll end up writing this chapter in my free time between classes.**

* * *

Fun Fact #38: Did you know that if you laid out all of the blood vessels in your body from end to end, you'd die?


	40. Chapter XXXV: To Err is Mammal

**Several Days Later  
Outside of Zootopia**

Judy was slowly coming to amidst the beeps and sounds of medical equipment. She snapped her eyes open and looked around; the room was a very bland shade of beige, and there were no windows. The air also smelled clean; far too clean to be any city hospital, she reasoned. Wherever she was, it was out in the country.

She felt a splitting headache for a moment, before it faded into nonexistence, replaced by an indescribable numbness. As she pondered the new feeling, the door in the far corner clicked and opened. In walked a stocky skunk in a white coat, and a sickly rabbit in a black suit; the dichotomy nearly gave her another headache. She felt as though the rabbit was familiar, but couldn't seem to place a name to his look.

"Miss Hopps, I'm glad to see you're finally awake," the rabbit began, while the skunk fiddled with the equipment next to her. "I'm sure you want an explanation as to why you're here, of all places, so I suppose I'll try my best. When the monks found you, you were nearly dead."  
The monks, the monks… The monks! She was nearly buried in an avalanche, along with Felix and…  
"What about—" she began, faster than her mind could keep up.  
"Patience, Judy. Can I call you Judy?" She nodded. "You suffered a terrible concussion along with minor tissue damage, and I was advised against letting you recover 'too fast', so to speak. Please, just listen and save your questions until the end."  
She sighed.  
"The monks knew that you were injured beyond their capabilities to heal, so they sent to the nearest city for help," he continued. "That's when I got wind of you being there."  
"And you are?"  
"I did say to keep questions until the end, but it is terribly rude of me not to introduce myself. Jack Savage, director of the Secret Service." He did a small, elegant bow, before falling subject to a terrible coughing fit. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling my best right now. Anyways, I received word that you, a Zootopian citizen, were in the process of being airlifted to a hospital. So, I took the next logical step, went the extra mile, and had you brought home."  
"This isn't Zootopian General," Judy noticed. "Air's too clean."  
"This is a military hospital; best air filters money can buy, but I do suppose it could use a bit of fragrance."  
"Why me? Why would you, and the Secret Service while I'm at it, spend tax dollars getting me, a bunny cop on vacation, out?"  
"Well, it's entirely my fault you ended up in that predicament to begin with."  
She furrowed a brow.  
"How?" she inquired.  
"You see, terrorism isn't a problem in the civilized world, but in certain regions of the globe… politics and religion can divide mammals, sometimes violently. That missile was stolen by the local terrorist cell, which one of my units was supposed to keep under close watch. We looked away for one second, and they launched it. Of course, high tech weaponry and two-brain-celled nematodes don't mix, and they sent it into the mountain. Right next to you, actually."  
Judy began rubbing her paws nervously, before noticing something worrying.  
"Where's my ring?!"  
"On the bedside table," Jack explained. "We had an MRI done, and we didn't want any damage done to you or the equipment."  
She quickly slipped it on.  
"Now, this won't be easy to hear," Jack started, "But I have good news… and bad news."  
"… Which are?" she asked, nearly regretting her decision.  
"I'll start good, since I want to let you in on it gently; the good news is that you'll make a full recovery, and that Felix is uninjured. The second piece of good news is that the ZSS will cover your insurance deductible, as well as any other costs incurred; you will also receive a small stipend, provided you fulfill several agreements."  
"And the bad news?"  
He sighed, removing his shades to reveal very bloodshot, weary eyes; his pupils were extremely dilated, and his eyelids were sagging.  
"Your fiance was killed in the avalanche."  
Her heart sank into her stomach; she felt the light leave her world.  
"He was swept off of the mountainside with the snowfront," Jack continued. "If it's any consolation, it's unlikely that he suffered."  
"How?" she asked quietly.  
"How what?"  
"How did he go?"  
"Well… I'm not sure you really—"  
"How?!" she shouted.  
Jack sighed, coughing as he exhaled.  
"He fell four-hundred feet, fractured his skull on the rocks, and likely bled out without ever waking up again."  
She began to tear up.  
"He saved me…" she sniffed, running her fingers over her ring. "And I couldn't return the favor."  
"Saved you?" Jack inquired.  
She patted at her sides, before realizing she was wearing a hospital gown.  
"Where are my clothes?"  
"Over in the dresser," he answered, opening the closet door.  
"Right coat pocket," she mustered the strength to speak, before falling back to the bed.  
"Oh, you were referring to this, I assume." He pulled from his own back pocket the badge. "A rather curious trinket; it was weighing you down, so we removed it before lifting you. Why is it so heavy, I wonder?"  
"He said it was a gift from the ambassador. I remember him using the words 'bullet reflector', and he claims it prevented the missile from hitting us directly. I can't believe it, he saved me and…" She trailed off.  
"What happened to the missile, then?" Jack asked, intrigued.  
"It flew up and away into the mountainside, causing the… avalanche." She once again ran her fingers over her ring.  
"How curious," Jack muttered, handing the curio to the skunk. "Take this to the labs at headquarters, have it analyzed, reverse engineered."  
"It's one of the few things I have left from him, why are you taking it?!" Judy protested.  
"Don't worry, I will make sure it's returned once we find out how it works. If it saved your life, who knows how many more it can save?"  
She gave a sad hum.  
"Unfortunately," Jack began, checking the time. "I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do, but I will be back. Until then…" He fished a small letter from his suit jacket, and laid it on the bedside table. "This might all seem very sudden, but we lose agents every day. I've seen your record, the cases you've solved: we really need someone of your caliber. I don't want to rush you, given your loss, but I urge you to consider working for the Secret Service."  
"I already have a job," she mumbled.  
"But think, if we weren't understaffed, we might have been able to stop the terrorists. I'm afraid it's too late for Mr. Wilde, but it's not too late for others. I won't insist either way, but the offer's there."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Jack and the skunk exited; the door's lock clicked shut a moment after the door closed, and they were gone.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

The door opened again, revealing the same two mammals; again, the skunk checked the machinery attached to her, while the rabbit took a seat next to her bed.  
"I know it's probably too soon to ask, but…" Jack began.  
"I haven't even opened the letter yet," Judy hissed. "Have you no shame?"  
"Right. Sorry. I haven't quite experienced loss like this for a very long time; I'd forgotten how much it stings at the heart. Losing so many agents every day tends to… well, for lack of a better term, breed callous disregard."  
"Why does the door lock when you leave?" Judy questioned in an accusatory manner.  
"Well, this being a military hospital and all, it treats more than honest mammals. Prisoners, AWOL, and all sorts of riff-raff see their way through these doors. It's an automatic response, no malice intended."  
"Hmph. And the badge? Where is it?"  
"Well, Judy, it's only been two hours; we can't analyze something that advanced, that fast."  
"Can I go now? I need to talk to Chief Bogo."  
"Don't worry, Judy, we've already taken care of all the paperwork. Just… rest easy for a few days."  
"I want to go."  
"I was actually advised by the on-site physicians not to let you walk around, seeing that you just woke up from a coma. Give it a few days, please."  
Judy gave a dissatisfied groan, but otherwise fell silent.  
"Now, I've been meaning to ask you," Jack began, pulling his chair closer and taking on a more serious tone. "How did you or your fiance meet the ambassador?"  
"I don't really care enough to remember right now."  
"This is important, we have reason to suspect that he is involved in terrorist activities as of six months ago."  
She stopped her train of thought upon hearing the sentence.  
"No, he couldn't, he wouldn't!" she pleaded.  
"I'm sorry. Knowing betrayal is, perhaps, the worst feeling in the world." He stood, and again, walked to the door. "I should have given you more time, two hours was too short."  
"Can… can I make a call?" Judy inquired, as he was exiting. He paused in the doorway.  
"Fine." He withdrew a cell phone from his suit pocket and tapped at the display several times before giving it to her. She quickly dialed Chief Bogo.

"Director Savage, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Bogo muttered, clearly displeased.  
"Chief, it's me," Judy responded, continuing after realizing he didn't actually recognize her over the phone. "Officer Hopps."  
"Hopps, where are you?! What are you doing with him?!"  
"I'm in the hospital right now; I'd call it a miracle, but Nick didn't make it."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I didn't want to believe it either, but Nick's gone. The avalanche that hit us carried him off of the mountainside."  
"When was this?" Bogo asked, voicing disbelief.  
Judy quickly turned to Jack.  
"When was I brought here?" she inquired.  
"Two days ago," he muttered.  
"I was brought to the hospital two days ago, so maybe a week."  
"I just spoke with Nick not two hours ago. He claimed you were missing. Are you… feeling alright?"  
Judy immediately felt a sense of great relief, which quickly transitioned into a sense of impending doom; why had Jack lied to her? She shot a glance at the other rabbit, who scowled back.  
"I was in a coma since it hit; I'm not really feeling all that great right now," she responded after a short delay.  
"Where are you?" Bogo asked sternly.  
"Oh, I'm not actually that beat up; mostly just a concussion, or so I'm told."  
"You can't talk, can you? Is he watching you?"  
"Yeah, I see what you mean," she responded. Bogo caught on very quickly.  
"I can't trace the call, ZSS agents use satphones that don't forward tracking data. Where are you?"  
Once again, Judy turned to the bunny in black.  
"What hospital is this?" she asked.  
"It's classified; strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to tell you," he replied.  
"'It's classified'," she mocked into the handset. "Don't worry about it, chief. I'm sure Jack will give me a ride back once I start feeling better."  
"You have to get out of there."  
"Yeah, I miss him, too," Judy answered sadly. "I'm know he's in a better place. Listen, I'm sure Jack wants his phone back, and I could really use another nap, so I suppose I'll see you in a week, maybe."  
"Good luck, Hopps."  
She hung up, handing the phone back to Savage.  
"I'll be back sometime tomorrow; in the meantime, I expect you to rest," he stated, stowing it and exiting with the technician, door locking shut behind them.

The second they were gone, Judy began searching the room for some form of escape. There were no windows, either internal or external, and the door wasn't an option. She spotted a ventilation grate, but decided to search for a better method; although she could potentially fit in a standard-size ventilation duct, it would be dangerous, and potentially noisy if she wasn't careful. To her dismay, she found no alternative. She tried to get out of bed, before realizing she was still hooked up to several machines, and an IV line.

The IV was simple enough to remove, although she wished for something better than her digits to stem the flow of blood from her arm. She figured that when she removed the leads and wires, she would have, at best, five minutes before someone else would come barreling through the door to find out what was wrong. As long as she was in the vent, she would be reasonably safe, given that she didn't spend too long inside of the ventilation ducts, and that she managed to get far enough before security arrived; after all, no military institution would hire mammals smaller than her for their security.

She decided to take her chances; whatever Jack had planned, it probably wasn't good. As soon as she unhooked herself from the machine, she immediately stumbled over to the dresser. It took her a little over a minute to get dressed in proper clothing; not good by any means: her head injury was taking its toll on her. Next, she went as quickly as she could to the grate; it was secured by two flathead screws at the top, with an additional screw holding the bottom. Hooking her nails on the unsecured corner, she pulled with as much strength as she dared. Soon, the corner began lifting, but she felt her nails tearing; thankfully, she pulled it enough that she could now grip with her paws. Another minute later, and the grate was off of the wall.

Judy peeked her head into the vent; it was big enough, but there was a problem: about three feet in, it went into a straight vertical orientation; she could either go up, or down, and she didn't know which to choose. She heard footsteps echoing through the hallway: she had no time to choose. She quickly ducked in, loosely replacing the grate behind her, and chose to climb up; not a moment too soon, as she heard her door open, followed by shouting shortly thereafter.

The vents navigated like a maze; every turn she made took her deeper into the labyrinth, often taking her to dead ends. The only light entering the ducts was the meager light seeping in from other grates below, and from her phone's flashlight; the latter was rather blinding, given the reflective metal surface on the inside. She continued crawling through the vents, looking for a signal so she could make a call; of course, she could find none. She would have to exit the vents; she cursed herself for not making a call while she was prying the vent cover.

She continued crawling, now looking for an exit through the grates; in the corridors, she saw mammals in military fatigues frantically scrambling, presumably to find her. Eventually, she saw it: an exit sign hanging above a door marked 'stairwell'. She waited until she could no longer see anyone in the hallway below her, before pushing on the vent cover, looping her fingers through the grate. It began bending on one corner, before popping off with a small clanging noise; she was thankful that she had a grip on it, lest it hit the floor and alert everyone to her location.

Judy pulled the grate up into the ventilation shaft, before peeking her head down into the corridor below; she nearly decided to exit, before spotting another mammal running by, perhaps a straggler from before. As soon as he was gone, she gracefully fell from the vent, landing on all fours; the maneuver made her light-headed, but she managed to force herself back upright.

She reached out to the door, and gently pushed it open. The stairwell was empty, and, judging by the floor markers, she was somewhere on a basement floor. She climbed up, before reaching the ground level. Escape was just within reach, all she had to do was open the door and leave; she grabbed the handle, rotated it, and pushed, exiting into the daylight. The fresh, non-filtered outside air was a nice contrast from the bleak, utilitarian hospital air. She took a deep breath, savoring its glory, before pulling her phone out: there was a weak, albeit present signal. She dialed Bogo's desk number, but before she could hit the call button, she felt a sharp pain in her back, followed by sudden weakness in her legs; unable to stay standing, she fell over.  
"You know," a voice spoke from behind her. "I was wondering how far you would make it. I'm rather impressed; your record, as it so happens, was hardly any indication of your true skill."  
"Wha..?" she managed to say, collapsing down. A lonely rabbit walked into her view, crouching down before her, waving a dart gun.  
"You really should have considered my employment offer, Judy," Savage murmured, shaking his head.  
"Why did you lie? You knew Nick was alive!" she hissed, vision slowly going dark.  
"Because, dear Judy, you are simply the means to an end."  
He continued to monologue, but she lost all sense of reality long before he finished.

* * *

 **ZSS Headquarters  
One Hour Later**

Jack was walking through the basement labs along with a rather plump porcupine; Betelgeuse was his name, and he, too, was perched atop society in the Court.  
"So, Bee," Jack began. "You do know how to use our equipment, right?"  
"I only patented half of it," the porcupine replied. "But dispense with the small talk, I want to see it!"  
Jack fished out the badge from his back pocket, turning it over in his paws, before handing it over.  
"So this is it: the human bullet deflector."  
"Can you crack it open?" the rabbit inquired, letting out a slight cough.  
"I'm not the best for nothing. Although…" He, too, turned the badge several times. "I can't quite seem to find anything on the surface. Maybe there are hidden screws?"  
"I had the labs cleared out for this; I really hope you can get results. Do you have any idea how much Rigel would have wanted this opportunity?"  
"I can only imagine."

They reached the second smallest lab, built as an afterthought for mammals of their stature; the porcupine quickly rushed to a desk, and began fishing for tools with which to open the device. He began working at every surface of the smooth, featureless badge, until a panel opened.  
"Aha!" he quickly flipped the device to inspect it. "Damnit!"  
"What's wrong?" Jack inquired.  
"Hex screws. You wouldn't happen to have a—"  
Jack handed him the proper screwdriver.  
"We wouldn't be the best if we didn't," he responded, producing a weak grin.

The porcupine made quick work of the screws, removing the next panel. The next surface was covered in dozens of labels. Jack peered over his shoulder.  
"What do you make of it?" the rabbit inquired.  
"They really didn't want us to open this up," was the response, followed by a nervous chuckle.  
"Can you recognize any of them?"  
"Well, there's a radiation hazard trefoil, an exclamation mark for danger, and… I presume this to be a human skull, but it's strange: red triangle, a second radiation warning at the top with arrows to this skull and… a caricature of a human running away."  
"We should probably don some safety equipment before proceeding," Jack suggested.  
"Nonsense, this can't be too dangerous. Even if it was a radiation hazard, it suggests that it's a 'potential' high energy gamma emitter. No lead suit will block it, anyways."  
"Should we hand this over to the expendables?"  
"The who?"  
"It's what we call the chem and engineering interns," Jack explained. The porcupine laughed.  
"No, I want a shot at this, first."

He peeled back the label, revealing a transparent covering, enclosing a nearly-perfect sphere of a pale-blue liquid, which was very difficult to deform via shaking.  
"What do you reckon that is?" Jack asked.  
"If I knew, do you think I would be doing this?" the porcupine responded impatiently. "You have a diamond-tipped cutter, right?"  
Jack fished around the lab for several minutes before returning with one. After several minutes of labor-intensive digging and prying, the porcupine managed to cut out a square of the clear covering.  
"That was unbelievably difficult," he remarked.  
"That didn't look like glass when you were cutting it."  
"Well, I assume it's some sort of composite. Do you have a microspatula, I want to see if I can get a sample for spectrometry."  
Again, Jack found the implement and gave it over. The porcupine placed it at the hole that he made, but seemed to just shake his hand.  
"What's wrong?" Jack inquired. "Second thoughts?"  
"You try!" he responded angrily. Jack took the implement and found that he, too, couldn't insert the spatula.  
"Magnetic field?" Jack asked.  
"Perhaps," Bee responded, handing his car keys over to the rabbit. "In my car, I have a laser spectrometer; bring it here. I'll keep trying, in the meantime."  
Jack rolled his eyes, and left the room.

As he exited the building into the parking lot, he hit the alarm button on the car remote; no signal. He continued venturing further, until eventually, he heard a car sound off; he followed the noise, until he reached the vehicle. As he proceeded to unlock the car, he received a phone call.  
"Yes?" he answered.  
"Hey Altair, it's Bee. I've found something interesting; if I stick a neodymium magnet to the spatula, I can actually get it in!"  
"So you don't need the laser whatever?"  
"No, bring it anyways. Huh…"  
"What's wrong?"  
"The enclosure is evacuated; I wonder how it's maintaining a vacuum without a seal?"  
"Alright, I've got it. I'll be—" Jack began, before suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his chest; he stumbled several steps away from the car, before collapsing, shattering the delicate implement against the ground.  
"You okay, Altair?"  
"Yeah," Jack managed to cough out, still clutching at his chest. "I'll… I'll be a few minutes."  
"Alright, I'll just proceed, then. Strange, the compound appears to be fluid, but acts as a solid, perhaps under magnetic pressure. I'll just take a sample and—"

He heard a loud static through the phone, before the entire building exploded in a fantastic flash of light; he tried to crawl behind cover, but the shockwave sent him rolling several feet. As he lay on his back, ears ringing, the world faded from before his eyes.

* * *

 **One Day Later**

Jack awoke in a very bright room, surrounded by numerous individuals in labcoats.  
"He's awake," someone spoke. "Stable, too. Everyone except you two, clear the room."  
As his vision cleared, he realized Rigel was the one throwing orders around, and the two she asked to stay were Antares, and the Court's resident doctor, Atria; being of a sheep of rather small stature, Atria was sitting on a high chair next to his bed.  
"What happened?" Jack muttered.  
"I could ask you the same thing," Rigel furiously responded. "ZSS is gone!"  
"Gone?"  
"A smoldering crater. Nothing left. My scientists estimate a four and a half kiloton yield. We found you in the parking lot."  
"What?"  
"I'll ask again, Jack. What happened?"  
"Where am I? How long was I out?"  
"University Hospital, and around a day."  
"Why not the military hospital?"  
"Because our funding is better. In either case, we were closer. I'm not going to ask again."  
"It was a device of human make, some sort of bullet reflector," Jack admitted.  
"And you didn't take it to me?" Rigel responded, now sounding more disappointed than angry. "For shame; you almost deserve this."  
"Betelgeuse asked that he get first dibs."  
"Betelgeuse was with you?"  
"Speaking of which, where is he?"  
"I imagine he was vaporized. You can't be that close to the hypocenter and have any mortal remains."  
"It was…" Jack muttered, trying to remember. "We opened it up, and found some small sphere of liquid in the center. He couldn't get any implements in, so he asked me to get the laser something-or-other from his car. I… collapsed somehow, I can't remember. It's not important, anyways. He called and mentioned that using magnets he could insert a spatula. The next thing I know…"  
"I imagine him asking you to go fetch the implement is what saved your life," Atria stated. "But…" She flipped through several charts. "The outlook's not good."  
"What am I looking at? Broken ribs?"  
"Well, I have you on about seventeen medications," Antares answered. "Of them, one is a painkiller, and two are cough suppressants. The rest are antivirals, antibiotics, antiparasitics, and a whole other assortment of antimicrobial drugs."  
"Why?" Jack questioned, trying to sit up; Atria held him down.  
"I need to ask you something, Jack, on a tangentially related note: did you, perhaps… Now, this is going to sound silly, but bear with me here… did you interact with Sirius in any way?"  
"You don't need to know."  
"This is life and death, Jack. Did you, or did you not interact with Sirius?"  
"… Yes, a couple of days ago."  
"Did he bleed on you, perhaps?"  
"He bit me."  
The three doctors looked at each other with worried expressions before turning back.  
"Normally, you should go to the hospital and get antibiotics for something like that, but—"  
"You're an idiot, Jack," Rigel interjected. "And it may have cost you your life."  
"We did a blood analysis, chest X-ray, MRI, CT…" Atria began.  
"Can you just finish sentences _without_ deferring to the next mammal?" Jack muttered impatiently. "Three doctors, and with the way you're talking, I swear I'm the smartest in the room."  
"Fine," Atria responded. "The blood analysis came back indicating that you are suffering from a severe viral infection."  
"Which one?"  
"We… don't know. We would have called Regulus, but she's not answering."  
"That whore Vega doesn't deserve that title," Jack muttered.  
"Jack, is there something you're not telling us?" Rigel demanded.  
"She stuck me with something."  
"Okay Jack, now I'm convinced that you're absolutely a fucking idiot. What did you do?"  
"It's not important. She's not going to help."  
"Whatever, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it," Atria continued. "Your X-ray and CT, along with your testimony, revealed that you have Cynewulf disease."  
"Don't call it that."  
"Doesn't change the fact that your lungs look like kitchen sponge." She showed the X-ray, and sure enough, her figure of speech was accurate; perhaps an understatement, even.  
"I don't know what, or why, but despite the fact that you've had it for maybe a day, and Sirius has had it for around… what, three years?" Antares stated. The others nodded. "You're more late-stage than he is."  
"Meaning?"  
"Even if we start you on Sirius' medication, whatever Regulus—"  
"Vega," Jack interjected.  
"Whatever Vega stuck you with will probably kill you. You need her help. Otherwise… I'd say you have a week, at best."  
"Although," Rigel mentioned. "At this point, it probably won't matter anyways."  
"The human…" Jack murmured. "He can help."  
"You really think he will, after everything you've done?" Rigel remarked.  
"I have to try. Give me a phone."  
"While you're at it, ask him about the device," she responded, giving him a handset. "Put it on speaker."

Jack dialed the number, before putting it on speakerphone. He prayed that the human would pick up the phone.  
"Who is this?" sounded a voice.  
"Listen… it's Jack. I need to ask a favor."  
"From you? This will be rich."  
"Not from just him," Rigel spoke. "Antares, Atria, and Rigel, too."  
"What do you lot want?"  
"Jack made a mistake, to say the least," Atria stated. "If he's going to live, we need your help."  
"After everything he's done?"  
They let out a collective sigh of despair.  
"Fine," Kai responded. "Call it an act of generosity. Where's the rabbit?"  
"Rabbit?" Atria queried. "Jack's at the University Hospital, if that's what you mean."  
"She's safe, military hospital," Jack answered.  
"I'll believe you, one last time. However, if you let me down again, I'll—"  
"We get it. We need antivirals, and whatever you made for Sirius."  
"Dare I ask why?"  
"We'll explain it after."  
"Very well. I'm already flying back, so give me a couple days. Don't expect this to be free. I want several things in return."  
"Which are?"  
"I'll tell you when I get back."  
"Wait, before you hang up…" Jack asked. "That bullet reflector of yours, what's inside of it?"  
"Don't open it up," Kai warned.  
"It's a little too late for that," Rigel responded.  
Kai sighed audibly through the phone.  
"What happened?"  
"ZSS headquarters is now rubble. What was in there?"  
"Two-hundred milligrams of liquid anti-helium, magnetically suspended. I don't know why you thought it was a good idea to open it up, especially after all of the warning labels that you must have seen plastered on there."  
"Anti-helium? As in, antimatter?"  
"Yes."  
"You have stable antimatter?!"  
"Well, as should be obvious, no."  
"But two-hundred milligrams, that's… You know what, never mind. Betelgeuse is now dead, no thanks to you."  
"I didn't ask him to open it. I didn't tell him to open it. In fact, that badge shouldn't even be in your possession, unless you stole it. There were numerous warning signs that he chose to ignore. If anything, blame Jack; I'm sure he put him up to it. Now, no thanks to you assholes, I'll have to find another one. Do you have any idea how expensive those are to manufacture?"  
"I—" Rigel began.  
"Of course not. A single unit costs over one-hundred and fifty billion dollars. I expect to be reimbursed for it, by the way."  
"Where the fuck are we going to get a hundred fifty billion dollars? Do you have any idea how much money that is?!" Jack practically shouted, before coughing violently.  
"I do. I don't really expect you to give it, since you're already stingy as is. I just want you to know what you're breaking. Don't meddle in affairs beyond your understanding." He hung up.

Jack began to sit up, pushing Atria aside.  
"What will it take to get back on my own two legs?" Jack inquired.  
"You must be joking," Atria protested. "You're three steps from death. No, you're going to stay for at least another week."  
"I don't have time for that." He began unhooking leads, before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Just give me a good dose of whatever meds you were using before, and I'll be on my way."  
"Well, we actually just gave them to you. However…" Antares began, taking a pill bottle from his labcoat and rattling it. "Sirius' pills. Take three."  
Jack quickly took them, before his IV was removed.  
"Where will you even go?" Atria questioned.  
"I have to see if Vega will change her mind."

They helped him get into proper attire, gave him a walking cane, and he set out on his way, hobbling to the docks.

* * *

The boat ride was long, as expected; he finally made it to Zootopia Penitentiary. The supermax prison was intended for the worst of society, that didn't quite yet make the death penalty. The likes of Bellwether, and, among several others, now Vega as well. He took the elevator down several flights, until he reached the retention level. The wardens took him down the hall, until he reached the cell containing the black vixen. He waved for them to leave him, before knocking on the thick glass cage.

"Vega?" He knocked again. She only glared. "I trust your trial was fair?"  
"You know it wasn't," she hissed. "Although, I'm glad to see you look like shit. However, you aren't bleeding out everywhere, so I assume you're on antivirals."  
"Yes, courtesy of Antares."  
"It'll only delay the inevitable. Without the proper therapy, you'll only prolong your suffering for several weeks."  
"About that…" Jack sat on the ground. "I'm sorry I tried to deceive you."  
"Oh, really? Are you?" She stood from her bed, walked to the glass door, and stared through it, straight at him. "If you were sorry, you would have already arranged for my release. You would have already taken me to see Neal. If you really wanted the cure, you would have already done that. You're not sorry, you just fear death. But, seeing how _generous_ I am, I propose a trade: if you want the cure so bad, I'll give it to you in exchange for those two conditions."  
"You know I can't get you out of here. You need to make parole."  
"Then I suppose I can't stop you from dying a horrible death. Where are you in terms of symptoms? Well, it's been a couple of days, so I imagine you're coughing up blood. Just wait a couple more days. Soon, your kidneys and liver will fail, and then you'll start bleeding out of your eyes." She laughed maniacally. "Come back then, I want to see that last bit of life drain from your face before you fall into a coma."  
"Sirius is sick, too. He bit me, and I imagine my blood got in his mouth."  
"No, he's not."  
"I promise you he is."  
"He can't be," Vega laughed. "That strain only affects lagomorphs."  
"It only affects rabbits, huh?" Jack muttered, deep in thought. "Perhaps I might get it out of you, yet."  
"What are you planning?" she questioned, banging on the glass. He stood, turned around, and began walking away.  
"Stay safe, Vega, and don't do anything to piss off the guards." He gave a haughty laugh, before exiting. As soon as he was sure he was out of her sight, he flagged the warden down. "Beat her."

* * *

 **A/N: You'll have to forgive the short length of this chapter, as well as any typos and whatnot. I didn't really have much time for anything this week, and I'm probably six feet deep in shit right now, since I have two deadlines that I'm never going to make without help. I also didn't have time to both get Jackofallfables to proofread this, and then to edit it myself, so sorry to him, and sorry to everyone else for the potentially lower quality of this chapter.**

 **Next chapter from whatever perspective. I haven't had time to think about it yet. Probably a little of both.**

 **No real special meaning to the chapter title again. I suppose it could be linked with everyone making mistakes, but especially Jack making more frequent mistakes as he gets desperate or careless. This is the kind of crappy philosophical debate that happens when I just don't sleep for days on end.**

 **It also occurred to me that the timing doesn't really make sense: Several days later, and then a couple days later, and Kai's party is only just flying out? Eh, I'll either invent something that makes sense, or I'll just forget about it. If I don't, then we can pretend they got trapped near a black hole, and special relativity made the rest of the world spin faster while they were inside. It's not actually too important.**

* * *

Fun Fact #39: Rat poison kills rats because they can't vomit. The most common kind is a blood thinner, and it causes them to bleed to death internally over the course of around a week after ingesting a lethal dose.

Bonus: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-45) aren't that closely related; they're fifth cousins. Theodore's niece was Franklin's wife, which is their closest relation.


	41. Chapter XXXVI: But to Forgive, Human

**Mahalangur Monastery  
Sagarmatha  
One Day Ago**

Two days of hiking had taken their toll on everyone except for Kai; they were exhausted, dehydrated, and famished. However, much to their delight, they saw the monastery above the next peak. Far too exhausted to comment, they pressed on.

Soon, they reached the end of the path; the paved ground was relieving, as it meant they no longer had to walk on all fours; the second Felix and Leora reached the first stone, they straightened out and stretched very pronouncedly. Kai retrieved Nick from within his coat and set him on the ground; the fox limped forward several steps, before attempting to stand on his back legs. Succeeding, he, too, stretched his back slightly, before losing balance and falling onto his rear. Kai laughed and picked him back up, setting him on his legs again.

"Thanks," Nick began. "I'm not sure I can walk all that well; can you take me to Judy?"  
The man nodded, before picking the fox back into his arms and walking towards the central building of the monastery. There, several monks met with him, deeply bowing.  
"We did not expect you to be back so soon," one of them commented.  
"I work fast. Where is the rabbit?"  
"She's…"  
"She's not here," the head monk spoke loudly, approaching.  
"Where is she?!" Nick inquired urgently, lifting his head up to look at the smaller fox.  
"We sent for the nearest hospital. Her condition was rapidly worsening, and we feared we would lose her."  
"Then where is she?!" Nick repeated.  
"A helicopter came to pick her up. We believe she was heading to the closest hospital; the rabbit in the helicopter assured us she was going to be there in under thirty minutes."  
"Rabbit in the helicopter?" Kai questioned. "Describe him for me."  
"Oh, a light brown with deep brown eyes. Rather short ears. Fluent common, no accent."  
"This is troubling," he muttered.  
"Why?" Nick asked.  
"Rabbits don't live in southeast Asia. I highly doubt that Jack managed to fly out here on such short notice, but I suspect it was one of his accomplices."  
"Jack?"  
"Jack Savage."  
"What could he possibly want with Judy?!"  
"I'm not sure, but it's imperative that we head back. Beyond any reasonable doubt, he was the one that launched the missile."  
Nick began to shake with rage.  
"Don't worry," Kai spoke calmly.  
"How can I not worry?! He almost killed Carrots, he stole her away! He might kill her!"  
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

Kai handed the fox over to one of the monks, and asked that they feed his party; while they guided the three away, he pulled his phone out and dialed his pilot.  
"Yes?" inquired a voice.  
"Grace?"  
"You remembered my name. Shocking. Well, the name I gave you, at any rate."  
"I need you to fly a chopper over to the monastery at Mahalangur."  
"I'm not sure I'll get clearance for that."  
"Try. If you can't, have someone else do it."  
"Alright, I'll call back."  
She hung up; Kai rejoined the others in the dining hall, where they were ravenously feasting upon the food there.  
"Aren't you hungry?" Felix inquired between bites.  
"No; I'm expecting a call soon, anyways," the man replied.  
"How are you never hungry? You only ever stop on us, you never ask to stop."  
"It's a very lengthy explanation. In short, I suppose I can control my metabolism."  
"How?" Leora inquired, setting her utensils down and looking up with an expression of befuddlement on her face.  
"Well—" He was interrupted by his phone ringing. "It looks like I don't have time to explain."  
"Don't think you're getting out of it," Felix warned, shaking a finger.

Kai withdrew the phone, exited the building, and answered.  
"I'm on my way," he heard.  
"Wow, they actually let you out?"  
"Well, with a stipulation."  
"That being?"  
"You're cleared, but anyone else needs a proof of citizenship."  
"Bureaucracy... No matter, it's not a problem."  
"Without a doubt."  
"Very well. On the double, then."  
"Don't rush me, freak." She hung up before he could reply.  
"Insolent…" he muttered, stowing the phone and reentering the building.  
"So, about that explanation…" Felix prompted.  
"Our ride is coming soon. Get packed," Kai ordered.  
"No, no. You're explaining this."  
"Metabolism is just several processes that determine how your body runs; mine so happens to be intelligently controlled."  
"Meaning?"  
"If I'm not expending a lot of energy, my body won't waste energy stores."  
"And if you are?"  
"It will use them accordingly. I'll answer more questions on the plane back. Until then, finish eating and pack your things."

Twenty minutes later, Felix came forward with a troubled expression on his face.  
"It's all gone!" he spoke with a sense of urgency.  
"What do you mean?"  
"My passport, my wallet, documents, house keys, almost everything important!"  
Kai quickly found the head monk.  
"Did the crew of the helicopter do anything _other_ than evacuate our rabbit?" he questioned.  
"Well, a few of them did stay for a few minutes while she was being loaded and strapped in."  
"And you wouldn't happen to know where Felix's belongings are?"  
"Are they missing?" The fox had a worried expression on his face.  
"Yes."  
The trio rushed back to the living quarters; true to his word, Felix's possessions were missing. In addition, Nick appeared to be rummaging unsuccessfully for his, as well.  
"Nick, what's wrong?" Kai inquired.  
"My shit's gone! Judy's too!"  
The man closed his eyes and sighed.  
"This is a problem."  
"No shit it's a problem! We need those!" Felix shouted.  
"No, not just that. You're not allowed to leave unless you have proof of citizenship. I suspect Jack is trying to separate us."  
"I don't even know this rabbit, but I hate him already."  
"Don't we all? I'll find a way, don't worry. You're not being left behind."  
Soon, the sound of a helicopter became apparent; a military-style chopper touched down in the middle clearing of the plateau, and a wolf exited along with a uniformed tiger.  
"Are these them?" the tiger asked. "Which is the ambassador?"  
"The wolf," Grace replied.  
"Alright, tell him to get aboard."  
"What about them?" Kai inquired, pointing to his companions.  
"What _about_ them?"  
"They're coming, too."  
"I'll need to see their passports."  
"They were stolen from us!" Felix protested.  
"No passports, no entry," the officer spoke, grinning.  
"Tell Jack that either they come along, or I don't," Kai mentioned calmly.  
The soldier opened his mouth to protest, before pausing.  
"I'll consider allowing them into the base, but not the flight back."  
"You will allow them on the flight back."  
"Orders are orders."  
Kai shrugged.  
"Ignore him," he stated, lifting Nick onto the helicopter and motioning for his companions to follow.  
"Hey, stop!" The officer grabbed Leora by the wrist; Kai grabbed him by the wrist in response.  
"You are alone. No backup for nearly a hundred miles. We number five, and however many monks are on this mountain. I suggest you rethink your strategy."  
"You won't have the majority at our base."  
Kai withdrew a syringe and jabbed the officer in the neck; he struggled momentarily before falling back onto the ground. Several minutes later, Kai nudged him with his foot, offering his hand. The officer took it, standing back up; his expression was very plain, and he stared straight forward.  
"What did you do to him?" Leora asked.  
"Well, he's only half-conscious, and he'll now do everything I ask," the man responded.  
"Everything _you_ ask? What about the rest of us?"  
"That too, which is why you should let me do the talking."  
"Why do you even have something like that with you?"  
"You'd better get aboard before-"  
"No, why did you bring that with you? You planned on using it on me, didn't you?!" She took a step back, outraged.  
"But an evanescent thought. I would never hurt you."  
"How can I trust you?"  
"Simple; I never lie."  
She stared for a long time before finally accepting the explanation, climbing aboard with the rest.

The flight was fairly short, and mostly uneventful, except for the fact that Felix and Nick kept worrying. All attempts to calm them seemed futile, as they would quickly return back to worrying moments later. Eventually, they landed at the base. From there, Kai led the way, officer trailing closely behind; they purposefully, yet inconspicuously, avoided contact with other soldiers, and not long after, they were shepherded onto a plane and taken to the runway. Nearly an hour later, they were given permission to take off, which they promptly did, not wanting to risk their luck or waste any more time.

* * *

Several hours into their trip back to Zootopia, Kai's phone rang; he took one look at the display and chuckled.  
"What's so funny?" Leora asked.  
"I didn't think I'd get a signal up here." He quickly answered the call. "Who is this?"  
"Listen… it's Jack. I need to ask a favor."  
"From you? This will be rich."  
"Not just from him," a second voice spoke. "Antares, Atria, and Rigel, too."  
"What do you lot want?"  
"Jack made a mistake, to say the least," spoke a different voice; presumably one of the three names just mentioned. "If he's going to live, we need your help."  
"After everything he's done?"  
"Who is it?" Grace inquired, walking into the cabin.  
"Shouldn't you be flying?" Felix inquired, worried.  
"Autopilot."  
"It's Jack," Kai responded, lowering the phone.  
"Jack… as in… Jack Savage?" Grace muttered, anger quickly showing on her face.  
"He's dying, apparently. Needs my help."  
"Do it, then. I want a chance to beat him before he dies."  
Kai shrugged, putting the phone back to his face.  
"Ask where Judy is," Nick demanded.  
"Fine," Kai answered into the handset. "Call it an act of generosity. Where's the rabbit?"  
He could hear a word being mumbled, but couldn't quite decipher it.  
"Jack's at the University Hospital, if that's what you mean."  
"She's safe, military hospital," Jack answered.  
"I'll believe you, one last time. However, if you let me down again, I'll—"  
"We get it. We need antivirals, and whatever you made for Sirius."  
Kai quickly grew puzzled.  
"Dare I ask why?"  
"We'll explain it after."  
"Very well. I'm already flying back, so give me a couple days. Don't expect this to be free. I want several things in return."  
"Which are?"  
"I'll tell you when I get back." Kai pulled the phone down, and nearly hung up, were it not for Jack shouting something over the line; he quickly placed the phone back to his ear.  
"That bullet deflector of yours, what's inside of it?"  
Bullet deflector? Kai began to wonder how Jack got a hold of the device. However, seeing how he was prying into its contents, nothing good could result.  
"Don't open it up," he warned.  
"It's a little too late for that."  
Kai produced an exasperated sigh, with the intention for everyone to hear it.  
"What happened?" he eventually asked.  
"ZSS headquarters is now rubble. What was in there?"  
"Two-hundred milligrams of liquid anti-helium, magnetically suspended. I don't know why you thought it was a good idea to open it up, especially after all of the warning labels that you must have seen plastered on there."  
"Anti-helium?" spoke the voice from the phone, and Grace simultaneously. "As in, antimatter?"  
"Yes."  
"You have stable antimatter?!" shouted the second voice from the phone; Grace merely sat, furrowing her brow.  
"Well, as should be obvious, no."  
More incoherent mumbling.  
"You know what, never mind. Betelgeuse is now dead, no thanks to you."  
"I didn't ask him to open it. I didn't tell him to open it. In fact, that badge shouldn't even be in your possession, unless you stole it. There were numerous warning signs that he chose to ignore. If anything, blame Jack; I'm sure he put him up to it. Now, no thanks to you assholes, I'll have to find another one. Do you have any idea how expensive those are to manufacture?"  
"I—" Kai interrupted before they could finish.  
"Of course not. A single unit costs over one-hundred and fifty billion dollars. I expect to be reimbursed for it, by the way."  
It was evident that Jack was screaming, but the audio distortion prevented the first half of what he said from being determined.  
"Do you have any idea how much money that is?!" The shouting was closely followed by violent coughing.  
"I do. I don't really expect you to give it, since you're already stingy as is. I just want you to know what you're breaking. Don't meddle in affairs beyond your understanding." He hung up before they could reply.

"Alright," Grace began, taking a seat. "Antimatter?"  
"It's not too important; Jack just broke a piece of my technology designed to reflect bullets, and incidentally, wiped ZSS headquarters off of the face of the Earth."  
"I gave it to Judy after… He has her!" Nick shouted.  
"Patience, Nick. I will retrieve her; you just need to relax."  
"You had better," the fox began menacingly, hobbling up and pointing a clawed finger into the man's face. "Or else I don't know what I'll do."  
"You're half his size," Grace sputtered, laughing. "What'll you do?"  
Nick lashed out and punched her in the gut; she quickly stumbled, before reeling around and throwing out a roundhouse kick which struck him in the side of the head. Nick fell over, and the wolf would have followed up, had Kai not grabbed her by the neck and thrown her to the ground.  
"Enough!" He grabbed Nick by the scruff and tossed him into a seat, before doing the same with Grace. "If you both don't stop now, I will personally throw you out."  
"You'll depressurize the plane, stupid," the wolf hissed.  
"Not if I go to sea level, first."  
She fell silent.  
"We only have what, twelve hours left? Play nice until we land."

* * *

 **Twelve Hours Later  
Outside of Zootopia**

Jack inspected the rabbit seated before him; she was seated in a small, rather plain wooden chair, arms tied behind the seat back. Her head hung low, eyes closed, and a slow trickle of blood dripped from her nose onto her clothes and the floor. He snapped his fingers.  
"Hello?" No response. "Perfect. I trust you'll put on a good show."  
Jack fiddled with the camera before him and began a video call; hopefully, everything was already set up on the other end. He was aiming to reach Vega in her cell, but seeing how slow bureaucracy moved, he could potentially have to wait. A quick glance at the other rabbit revealed that he might not have that long.

The video feed opened up; the camera was pointed through the glass cell door; there, a small black vixen was huddled facing the corner, hugging her knees.  
"Doctor Karahan, what a pleasure."  
She threw a quick glare; one of her eyes was swollen shut, and her fur was matted all across her body.  
"I trust you behaved?" he inquired playfully.  
"Fuck you." Jack could see the cell door open; a rather stocky rhino came in wielding a nightstick threateningly. "And fuck you, too."  
The guard struck her, before throwing her on the floor closer to the camera.  
"I hope you feel better soon, dear," Jack muttered, slowly shaking his head.  
"You don't look too bad. A damn shame, if I do say."  
"You see, I'm calling to inquire about the cure."  
"You're mad if you think I'm going to hand it over, now."  
"Well…" Jack panned the camera lower so that it captured the other rabbit as well. "You don't really have much of a choice."  
"Who is that? What did you do to her?"  
Jack grabbed the other rabbit by the ears and held her head up; Vega covered her mouth, gasping.  
"You sick bastard!" she eventually shouted.  
"Ah, so you recognized the esteemed officer. What a strange miracle that we share a blood type, huh?"  
"You'll kill her!"  
"Not if you give me the cure."  
"Oh, like you ever planned on giving it to her, to begin with."  
"What's happening?" Judy muttered quietly.  
"You've been poisoned," Jack explained. "I am attempting to get the cure from the only mammal that knows it, but—"  
"Lies, all of it!" Vega shouted. "He poisoned you, because I poisoned him."  
"Please… I have to get to Nick…" Judy responded weakly.  
"Not in that condition; you're a walking biohazard," Jack responded.  
"Which you caused, Jack!" Vega lambasted.  
"Can you cure me?" Judy inquired.  
"I'm sorry, officer," Vega began. "But I can't."  
"What?!" Jack shouted, throwing Judy to the floor.  
"Those antivirals you're taking will keep you alive for maybe a week at best. She might die, but the world will be rid of you, Jack." She walked up to the cell door and pressed her muzzle against it. "I'm sorry, officer. I truly am."  
Jack's phone buzzed; he retrieved it to find a single message on the screen: 'He landed.'  
"Well," Jack stated proudly, walking away from the camera. "My salvation has arrived."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"The human is back."  
"Hu… human?" Judy muttered.  
"Nothing of your concern. However, Vega, I will leave the camera up so you can know what you have done. You said you wanted to watch the light leave my eyes?" He produced a slight chuckle before coughing violently. "I'm afraid you'll have to make do with her."  
"No!" Vega screamed, banging on the glass. "You were just here, you can't have infected her more than twelve hours ago; how did it progress so fast?"  
"I'm afraid you'll have to figure that out, Doctor. I'm only a simple rabbit. Consider this something of a research opportunity; you get to observe how that disease _you made_ progresses."  
He walked out of the camera's view, intent on reaching the city.

* * *

 **Military Airstrip**

Kai exited the plane to find numerous rifles pointed at him; given their uniforms, they weren't military.  
"Who are you assholes? I just got off of the radio with the base commander, he told me—"  
"Freeze!"  
"Who sent you?"  
"Shut up!"  
He shrugged and began descending. In a show of dominance, they all cocked their rifles.  
"What will you do, shoot me? Good luck."  
They continued pointing their weaponry at him as he descended to the tarmac, at which point one of them attempted to grab him; he deftly threw them to the ground. One of them shot; he picked up the fallen rifle and mowed them down with ruthless efficiency.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Jack.  
"What the hell, Jack?" he quickly questioned, as soon as he heard the rabbit pick up.  
"What?"  
"You sent your men to hold me up as I exited."  
"I told them not to use lethal force."  
"Well, they clearly didn't listen."  
"What did you do to them?"  
"They're all dead."  
A long sigh.  
"Look, I just wanted them to give you a ride, honestly. Please, you have to believe me!"  
"Why should I?"  
"It doesn't matter at this point. I need you to go to the Court Lodge."  
"For what purpose?"  
"We need to talk, somewhere out of the city."  
"First, you will fulfill my demands."  
"We'll discuss your demands when we meet; I'm not in much of a condition to move right now."  
"Fine, but know this: fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, and I'll tear your head from your spine and feed it to the rats."  
"Whoa there, that's not PC. Rat's don't cannibalize."  
"Don't argue on semantics. I'll be there when I feel like it."  
"Please hurry."  
Kai hung up before heading back up into the plane to fetch the rest of his companions.  
"We heard gunfire," Leora spoke, worried.  
"I was shot at. It's all safe, now."  
"Was it Jack?" Grace inquired.  
"Yes."  
"I'm going with you," the wolf muttered. "I want to see how desperate he is."  
"Fine."  
"Me, too," Leora mentioned.  
"No; I suspect a trap. Seeing what he just pulled, I fear for your collective safety."  
"Why can she come, but I can't?!"  
"She knows Jack; she's also highly trained. You are, too, but two months without action…"  
Leora groaned.  
"Don't worry. Besides, I think it's about time I took you to a reunion long overdue."  
"Meaning?"  
"Chief Bogo should be able to look after you until such time that I return."  
"How long?"  
"Expect a day. I'll keep you posted."

They all descended, only to find that moments later, they were quickly surrounded by army trucks with mounted guns.  
"Fuck, not this again," Kai muttered. "Stay behind me."  
"What happened?" one of the officers shouted, quickly exiting. Every surrounding gun was trained on them, lest they make any wrong moves.  
"I assume you permitted ZSS agents in?"  
"Well, yes. They had jurisdiction."  
"They tried to kill me. I simply returned the favor. I'll need a truck."  
"We can't clear that."  
"Call your CO."  
"I am the base commander."  
"Call your CO," Kai repeated.  
The mammal rolled his eyes, before retrieving a radio and wandering off. Not long after, he returned.  
"Fine. I was instructed to spare you one transport. We drive."  
"Take us into the city; Downtown, Precinct One, ZPD."  
"Very well."

* * *

The group was kicked out on the precinct steps; the stares they received for being in a military vehicle in Downtown were bad enough, but as soon as they stepped in, the few officers there fell silent, unable to train their gaze away from the party.  
"Where's Bogo?" Kai inquired, walking up to the front desk.  
"Office, but…" the desk officer began.  
"I have no intentions of speaking with him right now; he will demand explanations that I don't feel like giving. Leora, I trust you will greet him on my behalf. Ask him to stay here with you until I return."  
"The last time you promised a swift return, I ended up going halfway across the world."  
"This time, I mean it. I have backup." He pointed to the wolf beside him. "In any case, I trust these officers will take care of you. Instruct Bogo to deny the ZSS entry." He turned and left, motioning for the wolf to follow.  
"Find Judy!" Nick shouted from behind. He nodded.

"Now where?" Grace inquired.  
"Now, we head for the Lodge. My equipment fared fairly well, and I don't believe I need anything quite yet."  
"I trust you know the way?"  
"Of course."  
They hailed a taxi, whose frightened driver took them all the way to the beginning of the driveway; Kai grossly overpaid in large bills before exiting. They started their trek up, quickly reaching the top. When he entered, the goat managing the lobby stared for a long while.  
"It's getting dark out," he began.  
"I don't have time for this; you know who I am, and you know I can't possibly be held hostage by her. Where's Jack?"  
"He's—"  
"Procyon," Jack began, standing from one of the numerous sofas in the room. "I see you've brought a guest."  
"Cut the pleasantries, Jack. Why do you need my help?"  
"Well, it's a long story." He coughed into his handkerchief, before continuing. "Vega is unstable, to say the least. She pricked me with a needle to hold me to some bargain, and on some misunderstanding, Chief Bogo arrested her. She blames me, and naturally refuses to cure me."  
"You wrote out the arrest warrant; you can't lie to me."  
Jack paused.  
"How?" he inquired.  
"How what?"  
"How did you know?"  
"You just told me."  
The rabbit sighed.  
"In any case, if left untreated, I will die."  
"I need to see her notes on the matter."  
"You… what?"  
"I can't cure a disease I know nothing about. Take me to her."  
"I… alright. Give me a few minutes to arrange transport."  
"Where is she?"  
"In prison. I couldn't convince Bogo to release her."  
"Did you even try?"  
"Yes, I did."  
"I can attest to that," the goat muttered casually from his desk.

Jack wandered outside to make his phone calls.  
"I don't like it," Grace mumbled quietly.  
"Neither do I. He's getting rid of the opposition so no one can stand in his way."  
"But he fears you."  
"Precisely, which is why I plan on staying in the city for a long time."  
They sat silently until Jack returned.  
"Alright. I've managed to procure us a ride there; we should get her notes in no time at all."  
"Jack, before you even _think_ about me curing you, I have a few prerequisites that you have to meet."  
Jack frowned.  
"Such as?"  
"First: you release everyone you imprisoned or captured."  
"I…"  
"You have to do it before I'll even touch you with a ten foot pole. Second: you bring me the rabbit in your custody."  
Jack's eyes widened.  
"Third: you step down from your post as Director of the ZSS. Grace will be your replacement."  
"Hey wait, now that's just—"  
"Alternatively, you could just die from whatever disease Vega pricked you with."  
"I'll consider it."  
"Consider fast. You don't have much time; I hear that your heart is close to giving out, and your breaths are rasping with fluid."  
"You can hear that?" Grace inquired.  
"You called me a freak not twenty-four hours ago. I didn't think I could surprise you any more," he retorted.  
Jack produced a solemn sigh.  
"Fine. Follow me."  
They exited the lodge, and shortly after, a black car came to pick them up.

* * *

 **A/N: After a very long time, I actually have breathing room, and at least a little time to think. Chapter's pacing is a bit rushed, especially in the early half, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out any more fillers for the East. Besides, I've got a lot of entertaining action back in Zootopia to get to. I've already started writing the next chapter with the hopes of getting it out by Friday, but given my hectic schedule, no promises.**

 **Someone asked for Jack's backstory; so I guess this is the part where, instead of making you hate him, I try to make you feel bad for him and sympathize with his cause. Of course, I doubt I'll be able to pull it off, since writing like that is hard, but I'll try nonetheless. As for human-era entertainment, I haven't really included anything yet since I haven't been able to fit it in without it seeming poorly timed; perhaps when this plot boils over, I can do a filler chapter of no real plot development, but more 'worlds collide' whatnot.**

 **Also, I noticed an unusually large amount of new followers in the gap between this chapter and last, as compared to previously; I think something like 11 or 12 new favorites, and maybe 13-14 new followers. I got suspicious, so I did a bit of creative googling, and I suspect it might have something to do with a reddit user linking it in a couple of places. Maybe I'm mistaken, who knows.**

 **Title is a play on the last chapter's title, as well as the obvious meaning of the expression 'To err is human, to forgive: divine'.**

* * *

Fun Fact #40: When meteors burn up in the upper atmosphere, it's not primarily friction that causes them to warm up. Rather, it's the adiabatic compression of air that generates the heat energy.

Bonus: Sharks can get cancer. The author I. William Lane fabricated the misconception in _Sharks Don't Get Cancer_ to help him sell extracts of shark cartilage as cancer prevention treatments.


	42. Savage Times

**Years Ago**

Jack sighed as he entered the doors of ZSS headquarters. His previous assignment required lengthy chases on both car and paw; he was shot at continuously, but in the end, he took his mark down, as expected of him. As usual, he received numerous glares as he passed by the offices; be they from jealousy or spite, he could not say. He continued to ignore them as he proceeded to his boss' office.

When he reached the room, he knocked.  
"Savage, is that you? Come in, take a seat."  
He entered, and found a chair before the desk.  
"Report," his boss commanded.  
"I encountered McNeigh at the bank, as intel suggested. Upon spotting me, he broke into a sprint through the front door. He nearly got away—"  
"Because your rabbit legs couldn't keep up with him?"  
"…No, he had an escape vehicle just down the bank steps. I took the car and followed him, at which point he began firing at me."  
"You couldn't have contained it at the bank?!"  
"Sir, he had accomplices in every corner. If I shot, they could have wasted the civilians."  
"Fine. You stopped him with minimal loss, then?"  
"Yes. Miraculously, no civilians were injured. The car got quite destroyed, but nothing that can't be fixed, I'm sure."  
"Acceptable work, Savage. Before I'll let you take the day off, take the car to the shop. See if you can get it fixed up."  
Jack nodded, saluted, and exited.

* * *

As Jack pulled into the shop, he, again, received numerous stares; however, this time he was certain that it was due to the bullet holes scattered across the car's body. When he exited, he heard laughs; the source appeared to be a white vixen, face and uniform smudged in oil stains.  
"Yes?" Jack inquired.  
"No, it's just… a car like that, I didn't expect a rabbit to come out. What are you bringing 'er in for?"  
"Body work. Can I get an estimate?"  
She approached, inspecting the damaged and gunshot car chassis.  
"Geez, what did you do to this thing?" she asked, tossing a casual glance at him.  
"That's classified."  
"I presume this has something to do with the chase through downtown?"  
"Astute observation."  
"So, are you like… the valet, or something?"  
"No, I was the one that took him down. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though."  
"Huh, I can admire that."  
"Why, is it because I'm small?"  
"No, it's because the news said that there were four armed robbers in the car."  
"Really?" he inquired sarcastically.  
"Yeah, it takes a real mammal to take care of something like that."  
"You wouldn't be lying to save face, would you?" he inquired, giving a sly smile.  
"Guilty as charged." She smiled back. "To be honest, you're pretty short, even for rabbits. How did you get into working for the ZSS?"  
"How about I tell you over dinner?"  
"Ooh la la, you're suave, too. I trust you'll buy wine?"  
"But of course."  
"Alright. I get off shift at five. Come swing by." She glanced at the ruined vehicle. "Preferably in something better than that."  
"You plan on going to dinner looking like that?" he joked.  
"Does it bother you?"  
"Not particularly, but I can't think of a restaurant that would let you in."  
"What, you don't trust my cooking?"  
"Oh, uh… I didn't expect—"  
"Didn't expect to get invited in? What, you've never gotten this far, Mr…?"  
"Call me Jack."  
"Well then, 'Jack'. Call me Skye."  
"What a lovely name."  
"Yeah, don't get sappy. Your car'll be ready in a few days. Probably next Monday."  
"Thanks." He tossed her the keys.  
"Five-o'clock. Don't forget."  
"Don't worry, I won't."

* * *

 **Several Hours Later**

"So, you're an agent because you bumped into the right mammal at the right time?" Skye queried.  
"Naturally I get a lot of problems because of it."  
"You mess up a lot?"  
"No, I'm a rabbit. As you astutely noticed, a short one, at that."  
"You're lucky I have a thing for short rabbits," she spoke, the innuendo thick in her voice.  
"Yeah, most others don't."  
"Don't let them see that they get to you. They don't let me near the register because I'm a fox, despite the fact that I've worked longer than almost everyone else."  
"Isn't society great?"  
"It's absolutely lovely. But hey, when you have someone else to complain with, it gets that much better."  
Jack chuckled.  
"So… if you don't mind me asking," she continued, "Why did you become a secret agent?"  
"As opposed to a carrot farmer?" He picked at his food. "Every rabbit nowadays is a carrot farmer. If your parents were, chances are you'll be one, too. I assume you know your grandparents, and that they know you?"  
"Of course."  
"Well, rabbits average six hundred offspring in their lives. Do a little math, and you'll find that grandparents can have upwards of a hundred thousand grandkits before they die. Do you honestly think they'll remember any of their names if they all become simple carrot farmers, undistinguished?"  
"You're afraid of being forgotten."  
"Guilty as charged. I never knew my great-grandparents. With so many offspring, you'd have to be special to get an audience with them."  
"Rabbits are strange."  
"It's why I wanted to distance myself. They all think I'm crazy for straying from the norm, but to be honest, I don't care."  
"Hey, liven up. You'll make director someday, and then you'll always be written in history: imagine, first rabbit agent, and soon, first rabbit director of the ZSS."  
"But then what? In a few generations, I'll just be a painting in a hall."  
She chuckled.  
"Then I suppose we can take over the world together."  
He scoffed.  
"Take over the world? Yeah, when a mule foals. Wait, together?"  
"I enjoyed tonight: you're polite, quick-witted, and most importantly, not crazy."  
"Not crazy?"  
"I tend to attract the wrong kind of male."  
"So you think I'm decent?"  
"Well, that depends."  
"On what?"  
"Want to spend the night?" she asked, cutting to the chase.  
"Wow, we hardly know each other, and… sure, I'd love to."

* * *

 **A Few Weeks Later**

Jack and Skye sat atop a small picnic blanket on a hill overlooking the city. Each with a glass of wine in one paw, and some hors d'oeuvres in the other.  
"This is nice," the vixen commented, leaning closer to Jack.  
"Yeah. You know, it's funny." He chuckled, gently swirling the contents of the glass. "Normally, I'm the one that makes the first move, and normally, it's for my work."  
"Are you implying something?"  
"No, it's just a nice change of pace."  
She smiled, and he smiled back.  
"Say, the sunset is particularly red today."  
"Really? Looks no redder than normal."  
"You must be missing some photoreceptors," she joked, before letting out a contented sigh. "I imagine that someday, we'll be old, sitting here again."  
"Let us hope I'll live that long," Jack muttered.  
"Don't get me started," she laughed out. "I have a higher chance of getting crushed by a car than you do getting injured in your office. Just promise me something."  
"Anything."  
"If I die before you do, bury me here."  
"Don't talk like that. You won't."  
"Promise," she spoke sternly.  
"Very well. I promise. However, if I die before you do, you had better return the favor."  
"Naturally. We can't be separate."  
"I'm glad I met you," Jack spoke eventually, before lying back. She lied back with him, and pecked him on the cheek.  
"Me too."

* * *

 **Several Months Later**

"Be safe, dear," Skye spoke, pecking Jack once on the cheek.  
"I will. Don't let any cars fall on you," he joked.  
"I'll have you know that it's a real problem."  
He chuckled, waved her farewell, and left.

As he walked through the halls of ZSS headquarters, he received far fewer glares than before; the secret, as suggested by Skye, was to walk with an expression of exasperation, as if you were ready to murder, and no one would bother you. As he entered the conference room and took a seat, he only received casual glances.  
"Alright," his boss began. "We've been tracking this mammal for quite some time; currently employed as a professor of medicine at Zootopia University, we don't know his real name."  
He clicked through several slides on the projector to reveal a wolf in regal university dress; his fur was black as night, with brilliant orange eyes.  
"The only name he gives is 'Professor Moriarty'," he continued, flipping through more slides. "Silly, I know. Be warned, however, as although he may give the notion of being an upstanding member of society, he is cunning, cruel, and morally insane, evidenced by what he does in his spare time."  
"That being?" someone inquired.  
"He holds a crime ring." Another slide passed by, showing numerous drug paraphernalia; the next slide showed roughly a dozen assorted mammals with throats cut. The slide after that, a glimpse of Moriarty in Tundratown, with several other mammals from the previous slides. "And this isn't even the tip of the iceberg. However, we now have enough evidence to pursue him."  
"And his mistake was?" Jack inquired.  
"One of our agents ran into him, purely by chance while stalking another mark. Regrettably, he was captured, tortured, and killed. However, we caught everything on camera." He threw out several folders to his audience. "Not the professor directly, but one of his known accomplices. Savage, you're pulling field duty."  
"Me?" Jack inquired, raising a brow.  
"Is that a problem?"  
"No, it's just… usually you hold out on giving me tasks until all the fun work is gone."  
"This isn't a game, Savage. You're getting the first chance at this because we suspect that this professor won't recognize you as an agent."  
"I see."  
"That folder will have everything you need to know about him. I want you to meet him, get familiar with him. Then, report back."  
Jack leafed through the folder.  
"It doesn't say where I'll find him. It's just twenty different locations that he's visited at least once."  
"Precisely. He holds an office at the university, although I imagine you wouldn't want to meet him there. Choose your venue of attack, metaphorically speaking; we want it to look like you bumped into him by chance, not deliberately. Get going."  
Jack nodded, and exited; he would have a hard time tracking down this wolf with almost nothing to go on, but then again, he was the best. He finished reading the contents of the folder, and set out for Tundratown.

* * *

 **One Week Later**

Jack had finally managed to find the preferred drinking establishment of the professor: one "Gus' Bar & Grill". He couldn't understand why a professor would choose such a dirty establishment. According to the schedule, he would bump into the wolf in question in about an hour. All he had to do was wait.

An hour passed, and nothing.  
"Hey," spoke the bartender, a polar bear. "You gonna order something?"  
"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll take—" Jack began.  
"Two snifters of cognac, Gus," interrupted a voice from behind him. Jack turned his head and found that he was staring at precisely the wolf he was waiting for. "I hope you don't mind if I join you?"  
"No, not at all; go ahead."  
The drinks came shortly after.  
"You look like a Jack," the professor started. "Can I call you Jack?"  
"Sure. And you are?"  
"I'm sure you already know that, Jack. Why else have you been stalking me these past few days?"  
"I…"  
"Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself again. Call me Jim."  
"Jim Moriarty… Strange name; no offense."  
"It's literary, I'm sure you can appreciate something like that."  
"I don't recall ever reading a book like that."  
"Of course you wouldn't have. Tell me, your employer, what did he task you with?"  
"I'm not sure I—"  
"Oh don't play dumb, Jack. He and I are friends. Were, at any rate; I wrote a paper, and he and his little club decided to dispose of me. However, seeing how you haven't tried to kill me yet, I assume he doesn't know the contents of the paper. I presume he tasked you with getting to know me?"  
"I—"  
"But that's strange, especially considering his higher-ups wanted me dead and gone. I presume they would slander my name, as well."  
"Higher-ups? I work for the director of the ZSS, he has no higher-ups."  
"Oh, doesn't he?" The professor finished his cognac and set the glass on the bar. "How about we take a stroll, and I show you how deep this rabbit hole goes?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Ah, you wouldn't quite understand the expression. You see, there was a book written long ago, about the eponymous Alice and her adventures in… It's not important." He walked to the door. "Are you coming, or not?"  
Jack took a sip from the glass, leaving it half full on the bar, before leaving with the wolf.

They began walking in a seemingly random direction.  
"Where are you taking me?" Jack questioned.  
"Just a casual walk through town."  
"What did you mean back then about higher ups?"  
"Have you ever wondered why the same group of senators always take office? How Lionhearts have been mayors for more than a century? Or perhaps why you get sent to kill seemingly innocent, random targets?"  
"The population elects its leaders, and my work is of no concern to you."  
"Do they, though? Do you think the population really elects its leaders, just like that?"  
"Would they not? I think someone would notice if the majority vote didn't align with who actually got into office."  
"Well, you see: vote counts are never released, are they? And it's not a popular vote election; quite the opposite, the electoral colleges take the popular vote and twist it to meet their ends."  
"What are you inferring?"  
"Mammals are dumb, Mr. Savage, and you are being lead blindly by your shepherd director into fulfilling his and his club's ends."  
Jack laughed.  
"You know, your file said you would be tricky," he commented.  
"Oh really? How so?"  
"For starters, you lead a crime ring. Murder hundreds every day. That alone is enough to invalidate everything you say."  
"I never claimed to be a paragon of justice. Merely someone who knows the true order around here."  
Jack snickered.  
"Take a look around you, Jack."  
Jack looked around; they had somehow walked into the Docks District.  
"How did we get here?" Jack inquired.  
"You were so focused on the conversation that I could merely walk anywhere, and you would follow."  
Several other wolves walked out from behind shipping containers. Jack withdrew his gun and pointed it at them; they continued their approach.  
"Don't worry, Jack; they're not here to hurt you," the professor assured.  
"Then how about you tell them to back off!" he shouted.  
"They're here so you don't do anything rash."  
"You're one to talk about rash decisions."  
"How about this: run along and tell your director that I'll release my paper publicly in… oh, let's say a week's time. See how he reacts."  
"You admitted to operating a crime ring! Why would I have any reason to 'run along' and let you go?"  
Jack felt a sharp pain in his back; he began to feel week in the knees. As he started to stumble, the professor took the gun from his paws and stowed it in his jacket.  
"I know you're wearing a tape recorder, Jack; I'll just relieve you of it, and be on my way."  
"No…" he muttered, before falling to the ground.  
"You know, I reckon you could make director in a week or two, if you really wanted."  
"Shut up. They'll wonder why I've disappeared, surely you realize this?"  
"A rabbit agent, disappearing? Seems like a job hazard. Don't worry, however; you won't disappear."  
The world went black through Jack's eyes.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

"Jack!" Skye shouted.  
"Wha—" he replied groggily. He had a pounding headache. When he opened his eyes, he found that he was at home, in bed, Skye standing above him. "What happened?"  
"I could ask you the same thing! You wouldn't wake up for the longest time, I thought you were dying!"  
"No, I…" He shook his head. "What time is it? I have to get to work urgently."  
"It's ten in the morning. You never sleep this late."  
"I was drugged, presumably taken here sometime in the night. I need to see the director." He tried to sit up, but found it was very difficult. The vixen helped him stand.  
"You need to get to the hospital!"  
"This is potentially life or death, Skye. I can't delay this."  
She sighed.  
"Fine. I'm driving, though."

After getting dressed and hobbling out the door, they entered the car; not long after, the duo reached ZSS headquarters. Jack exited the car, and ran as quickly as he could to his boss' office.  
"Savage! Why are you late?!"  
"I… encountered the professor last night. He admitted to operating the crime ring, among… other things, but he had a dozen accomplices with him. I was drugged, and my equipment stolen."  
"Do you have any proof of this accusation?"  
"He stole my recorder as well."  
"Sloppy work! I expected better from you!"  
"Sir, something he said was troubling."  
"That being?" The director raised a brow.  
"He mentioned some paper that you were interested in, and that he would publish it in a week's time."  
"Damnit! Alright, I'll overlook your obvious blunder for now. You have to find him and take him out. I don't care what it takes, or how you do it, but he can't be allowed to put that paper anywhere."  
"What are the contents of the paper, if I may ask?" Jack inquired.  
"Need-to-know basis, Savage."  
"Where will I find him, though? I need more resources."  
"I'm sure SatCom can help you out. I can have you promoted and cleared for full access in five minutes."  
"You'd pull satellites to get this wolf?"  
"This is a dire threat, the importance of which I have difficulty conveying. Get it done, Jack."  
The rabbit nodded and left for the SatCom division.

When he reached it, he swiped his badge; sure enough, as promised, he was cleared to enter. As the doors whooshed open, several mammals stared.  
"Hey, it's the rabbit!" one of them jabbed. Several others started laughing, until it suddenly died down. "Wait, why are you here, when did you get clearance?"  
"Director wants me to find a wolf. Professor Jim Moriarty. Any and all costs."  
Their expressions became very pale.  
"Any and… Why didn't he get someone more qualified?"  
"Alright, let's just get all the rabbit jokes out of the way. This is serious, and if you slackers are going to do nothing but joke and complain, I'll just have the director appoint someone else to SatCom."  
"You can't do that. You don't have the authority."  
Jack pulled out his phone.  
"Your name?" he inquired.  
"Ferdinand Munro," the bull answered confidently. Jack placed a quick phone call; not a minute later, someone came through the doors.  
"Ferdinand Munro?" inquired the newcomer.  
"Yes?"  
"I'm your replacement. You're to report to Mammal Resources immediately."  
Everyone took on an expression of horror. As the bull left, Jack's expression hardened into a grimace.  
"Anyone else want to try me?" he demanded. No takers. "Good. Get me everything you can on the wolf's whereabouts. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, and I expect something by then."  
"And where are you going?"  
"Records. I need to check on known locations."  
He exited before they could muster a reply.

* * *

 **Several Hours Later  
Rainforest District**

Jack managed, with the help of his allies, to track down the wolf's whereabouts to within a several-block radius in the Rainforest District. They suspected he was most likely in the riverside observatory, and accordingly cordoned of the area. Jack took two other agents with him as he entered the building.

The way up was uneventful; although they expected heavy resistance, they found none. The lack of anyone wasn't very reassuring, but when they reached the observation platform, they saw the professor leaning against the railing holding a glass of wine in one paw.  
"You're under arrest, Professor Moriarty," Jack stated.  
"Weren't you sent to kill me?" the wolf retorted, sipping from the glass.  
"I figured you would provide answers before standing trial. Call it an act of good will."  
"Fine. However, before you take me, allow me the pleasure of a good monologue."  
"You have a minute."  
"Painfully low, but I suppose I'll have to make do." He finished off the wine, before motioning to the waterfall beneath them. "Behold, the largest waterfall in the Rainforest District. Two-hundred fifty meters of sheer drop into the rocky depths."  
"Get on with it."  
"You know, in the tales of Sherlock Holmes, the titular character was thrice nearly killed by the professor. In the end, Sherlock lied to his friends and family, before ultimately coming to confront Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls."  
"So?"  
"Do you want to know how the story ends?"  
"With your arrest. Go cuff him," he commanded of his agents.  
"No…" As they drew close, he smashed the wine glass against the railing before stabbing it through one of the agents' necks. As the second drew his gun, he was disarmed by the professor, before being grabbed in an inescapable hold. "They plunged off together. You were a fool to confront me here."  
The professor kicked off from the floor and jumped the railing, agent in arms.  
"No!" Jack shouted, drawing his gun and pointing it down; it was of no use, as the misty depths had already long obscured them. He instead holstered his weapon and went to stem the flow of bleeding of his other companion, calling for backup.

* * *

Several hours had passed, and Jack was at the bottom of the falls. Currently, he was in a phone call with his superior, and was being lambasted for his inaction.  
"Sir," Jack continued. "He fell off the observatory platform, that's at least eight-hundred feet. He couldn't have survived."  
"Until you find a body, don't assume anything. I trust that next time, you won't hesitate."  
"Yes, Sir."  
The director hung up, and Jack ordered the continued search effort. It took them fifteen minutes until someone found a bloodied and broken body on the rocks. Jack came closer, climbing over the slippery surface, until he could see the identity of the corpse. It was the agent that plunged with the wolf. He glanced around, and ordered his team to look further, but no second body turned up.  
"Fuck!" Jack shouted, kicking a stone. "How did he get away?!"  
"I… don't know, sir," the forensic examiner replied. "He shouldn't have been able to; even landing in water would have killed him at that height."  
Jack glanced around; the foliage was dense closer to the base of the waterfall.  
"But falling through leaves wouldn't have. Search the trees; find anything you can." He turned to leave.  
"Are you going?"  
"I've been at this for fifteen hours. If I have to go any longer, I'll just be in the way."  
The examiner nodded, before moving away to continue the investigation.

As Jack returned to his home, he found the door unlocked and slightly open. He drew his firearm and snuck in. The furniture was overturned, and there were claw marks to be found all across the floors. When he came to the master bedroom, he found only a note on the bed.

 _Dear Jack,  
I hope you enjoyed our little escapade at the falls. I've taken the liberty of providing motivation for you to continue your chase. I've already taken a flight out of Zootopia; you can find me in Chuqi Yapu. Don't delay, for your vixen's sake._

He fell to his knees, despaired; if he hadn't delayed, and had instead shot the wolf when he had the chance, none of this would have happened. He withdrew his phone and dialed the director.  
"Savage, anything to report?"  
"He's in Chuqi Yapu."  
"That's… over four thousand miles! What is he doing there?!"  
"He kidnapped my mate. He wants us to chase him."  
"I… I'm sorry, Jack. We can have a plane ready within a few hours."  
"Good."

* * *

 **Former South America  
Chuqi Yapu**

Jack exited the airport; the view was spectacular: vibrant rainforest stretched on for miles in every direction past the city limits. However, he wasn't there to sight-see. He had to find Skye, and he had no idea where to start. He could tell that it would be a long search, but there was no alternative to doing so manually; despite the fact that he had SatCom searching intensively, spotting anything through the dense foliage would prove difficult. He set out to ask the locals, with the hope that they would provide conclusive evidence before SatCom.

* * *

 **Four Days Later**

The locals revealed nothing. Jack was beginning to worry; it was highly unusual that he would fail to turn anything up, even after four days. His worries were eased, only slightly, by a phone call from the ZSS.  
"Jack, we have a lead."  
"Where?!" he nearly shouted.  
"It's far. A hundred miles southwest of the city. We believe we've found a small hideout, although we can't say if it's him or not. We'll send directions in case you need them."  
"I'll take any chance I can get. Expect a call back in a day. Savage, out."

He obtained a rental car before driving into the wilderness.

* * *

Jack spent hours driving; the only thing on his mind was Skye's safety, he could spare no iota of thought for anything else. At long last, he came upon the location described to him; it was a disheveled shack in the middle of the jungle, and in any other circumstance, he might not have given it a second thought.

He exited his car and drew his gun, approaching the building. When he reached the entrance, he crouched behind the wall, sneaking a peek inside; it appeared empty. He threw the door open and raised his gun, half-expecting an assailant to be found hiding behind the door. However, he found nothing.  
"Damnit," he muttered, stowing his gun and turning to go back. However, leaning against his car he found a black wolf, holding a bound and gagged vixen. He raised his weapon again, aiming it carefully. "Drop her!"  
"But Jack, wouldn't you want to hold a nice dialogue before rushing to violence?"  
"No. Let her go."  
"Jack, if you knew what I knew, you might not have blindly followed your superior."  
Jack stayed silent.  
"It seems you won't indulge me. How about some motivation…" The professor drew a gun of his own, pressing it against Skye's chin. "Let's play a game of 'chicken'. If you don't shoot, I shoot."  
"What could you hope to gain?!" Jack shouted.  
"The world deserves to know. This will make sure of that."  
"Know what?"  
"The truth. We aren't the first to walk this Earth, surely you realize this?"  
"Are you about to lecture on evolution?"  
"No. Think, though: we haven't launched very many satellites. Why, then, is there so much debris?"  
"It doesn't matter. Let. Her. Go."  
The wolf cocked his pistol for show before pressing it harder into her neck.  
"Either you shoot, or I do."  
"Why?"  
"Simple." He took a small flash drive and set it on the car. "No one would believe me, but you… You are already in a respectable position. No one would believe a 'crazy' professor of medicine, but they would certainly believe you, the director of the ZSS."  
"I'm not director."  
"Not yet, but you will be. I believe I gave it a week or two?"  
"I won't be your pawn."  
The wolf aimed his handgun at Jack, and shot; the bullet struck his jacket, merely grazing him, but Jack didn't give him a chance to shoot again. He shot back; the bullet struck Skye in the abdomen, passing through her, before embedding itself in the wolf's chest.

They both fell, Skye forward and the professor back; the professor fired seemingly randomly, perhaps in an attempt to hit someone, but only succeeded in dropping his gun, falling away from it. Jack ran forward, kicking the gun away, and pressed his weapon into the wolf's forehead.  
"I should have killed you back in Zootopia," he growled.  
"Perhaps. However, you're not done, yet. Don't think for a second that this is over."  
"How?"  
"Back in Zootopia, once you become director, go to 1 Linnaeus Drive. Take the flash drive and copy it. Tell them that you'll post it online unless you get what you want."  
"Who are 'they'?"  
"The ruling class. Society isn't as it seems, Jack; you know almost nothing. Go ahead, read the paper."  
"All this, for a stupid paper?! Why?!"  
"Not just any stupid paper… and I did this to spite them. They ruined me on more than one occasion, and this is revenge. However, I suggest you hurry."  
"Hurry? Why? I have to get her to the hospital before anything."  
"You didn't get injured when I shot, did you?"  
Jack felt his pocket; inside, he had his cell phone, which was now destroyed.  
"Only my phone. Why do you care?"  
"The second bullet hit the gas tank. I imagine I wasted enough time that it's drained by now." He began to laugh, coughing profusely. Jack lowered his gun and shot the professor several more times in the chest.

The wolf now dead, he turned his attention to the vixen; her bleeding wasn't profuse, and was easily stemmed as he packed the wound. He cut her restraints and pulled the gag off, holding her close.  
"You… shot me," she muttered, sitting up.  
"I'm sorry. He would have killed us both."  
"Oh, no worries. I understand. Let's just get back home."  
Jack plugged the tank as best he could with some torn cloth, before sitting her in the passenger's seat, himself taking the driver's seat. He carefully turned the key and found that the car started. However, the gas level was pitifully low, barely enough for twenty miles at his best estimate.  
"This is gonna be a rough journey," Jack commented, beginning his drive. Sure enough, not half an hour later, the car sputtered to a halt, unable to be started.  
"How far?" Skye inquired.  
"At least eighty more miles," Jack replied. "Don't worry, we'll make it."

* * *

 **Two Days Later**

The duo were marching diligently between the thick tree trunks beneath the canopy of the jungle. Running, more-or-less potable water was easily obtained, seeing that they found and walked along a wide river. As Jack looked over his shoulder, he found Skye trailing somewhat behind him, panting heavily.  
"Maybe we should take a break," he spoke. "We've been at it for three hours."  
"Yeah, good idea," she agreed, sitting on the riverbank.  
"Everything alright?"  
"I feel very hot."  
He pressed the back of his paw to her head; she had a scorching fever.  
"This isn't good."  
"No, really?" she muttered sarcastically.  
"Hold on, this might be cold." He picked her up and lowered her into the cool water of the river. As soon as she was mostly submerged, she breathed a sigh of relief.  
"How much longer?" She asked, her panting dying down.  
"We're a little over halfway, if I had to guess."  
"This sucks."  
"I know."

* * *

 **Three Days More**

Their pace had slowed considerably, Jack being hindered by Skye. However, he didn't dare leave her to fetch help, as he worried to lose the way back to her. She had come to the point of shuffling her hind paws, leaning heavily on him to move inches at a time. Suddenly, she collapsed before him.  
"Can we take a break?" she murmured quietly.  
"We just started walking again," Jack responded, worry growing on his face. Her abdomen showed signs of gangrene, the wound festering and seeping, and he was unable to change her bandages as she would claw fiercely in protest; he had already sustained several minor cuts in his attempts, and decided that it would be safer as well as less painful for the both of them if he left it be.  
"I can't keep going. I'm sorry," she moaned painfully.  
"I'm not leaving you." He hoisted her onto his back, and continued on all fours, her limbs dragging on the ground behind him. "We're gonna make it."

* * *

 **The Following Evening**

From the top of the largest tree, Jack could barely see the city skyline beneath the sunset; it was a little under six miles at his estimate. He dropped back to the ground and hurried to the vixen's side.  
"We're almost there, Skye. Hang in there."  
She only stared, no longer possessing the strength to respond. He lifted her again, proceeding along the worn path. He continued until they reached a small waterfall, which he surveyed for a while. He would have a lot of trouble descending with her in the condition she was in.  
"Go on, Jack. Stop dragging me and go get help," she breathed, nearly inaudibly. "I don't think I can go any further."  
"Don't say that, we're so close!"  
"Set me down by that tree over there."  
He thought for a moment, and leaned her against the tree trunk perched atop the waterfall.  
"Just hold on," he spoke. "We'll be out, soon."  
"The sunset is beautiful," she commented, closing her eyes and leaning back. "It's a lovely view. It reminds me of that picnic we had, remember?" She sighed. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap."  
"Don't talk like that!" he shouted, shaking her.  
"I'm not dying yet, Jack! I'm just exhausted; we've been traveling for twelve hours already."  
"Alright, but I'm waking you up as soon as I find a way down from here."  
"Very well."

Jack made haste in finding a way around; it took him an hour and several traversals up and down to find a safe enough path. As soon as it was all planned out, he quickly rushed to her side.  
"Skye, I've found a way. Let's go."  
No response. He gave her a gentle shake of the shoulder.  
"Skye, wake up."  
Again, nothing. He leaned in close and pressed his ear to her bosom. She was silent.  
"No, no, no!" he shouted, lying her on her back and performing chest compressions. "Stop it, Skye! Get up!"  
For all his efforts, he could muster no response. He buried his head in her chest, cradled her close to him, and wept. She was gone.

Jack held still this way for hours; he didn't leave her side for anything. The sun set, and rose again, and he still sat beside her. After what seemed like an incomprehensible length of time, he heard something behind him. He turned his head, and saw several hikers, all staring with a look of worry. One of them spoke something, but Jack couldn't understand. They rephrased in the common tongue.  
"What's wrong?"  
"She… she died. I wasn't fast enough," he answered, voice wavering. They muttered something amongst themselves in their language, before one of the crouched before Jack, offering a bottle of water. He quickly finished it before handing it back and leaning back onto Skye. Suddenly, he found himself being lifted into the air; Skye was also taken in one of their arms.  
"What are you doing?" Jack demanded.  
"We're taking you to Chuqi Yapu."  
Jack sighed; he no longer had any will to protest.

* * *

Back in the city, the hikers delivered Jack unto the local police; Skye was nearly taken away, but he protested enough that she was to remain for a little longer. It took a decent amount of convincing to allow him a phone call, and he promptly called the ZSS.  
"You've reached the Zootopian Secret Service, front desk. How may I—"  
"Karen, it's Jack. Connect me to the director."  
"Jack, you're alive?! It's been a week, why didn't you answer your phone?!"  
"It was shot through my pocket. It's unlike anyone at the ZSS to worry about me, but I can complain at another time. Connect me to the director, please."  
"You haven't heard the news?"  
"I was in the fucking jungle for a week, without a phone or car, no food, and a river to drink from! My mate is dead! I don't have time for this shit, Karen, just give me the fucking director!"  
"I… Jack, there was a bombing last week; the director died along with forty-four others."  
"W-what?"  
"Right now, there's no acting director. As far as chain of succession goes, most of the previously eligible candidates died in the blast. You were up, but we couldn't contact you; we were still going down the list, but I can call it off if you want the role."  
"I… I don't know how to answer. I'll be back in the city in a couple of days. Have them call off the search."  
"Very well, Jack. I know my word doesn't mean much to you, but I'm sorry for your loss."  
"Thank you. Before you hang up, could you send a plane for me to Chuqi Yapu?"  
"Of course."

As soon as Jack hung up, he felt a massive flood of emotions overtake his senses. Anger, grief, confusion, but most notably, regret. If he had forced himself to change her bandages, she might not have gotten an infection. If he hadn't shot through Skye, she would still be alive. If he only had the foresight to shoot the professor back at the Rainforest District observatory, none of this would have happened.

He turned the small flash drive over in his paws. Supposedly, the document contained was important enough to warrant forty-five deaths at the ZSS, and Skye's life. Whatever it was, he would find out.

* * *

 **Outside Zootopia  
Two Days Later**

Jack stood before a small grave, atop a hill overlooking the city. Plain and unadorned, it bore only one inscription:

 _To the vixen who dared love a rabbit:  
I sinned, and you suffered for my actions.  
May God be kinder to you than I ever was._

He laid a bouquet of roses atop the freshly made dirt mound. Several of his acquaintances were present, too, and had also paid their respects.  
"Take as much time as you need, Jack. We'll be there for you if you need us," one of them spoke; the rest agreed, and they took their leave. He took one final look before he, too, left.

* * *

 **The Following Afternoon  
City Hall**

After the paperwork was filed, the elder Mayor Lionheart led him to a podium.  
"It is with great privilege that I present the new director of the Zootopian Secret Service, Jack Savage. In light of the recent tragedy, we can hope that the guilty parties will be found, and that justice will be dispensed."  
Cameras flashed, paws were shaken, and after a few questions, Jack was allowed to leave. He went straight for his office; more specifically, his computer.

He continued turning the flash drive in his paw until he reached his destination, where he inserted it into the computer. A virus scan turned up nothing, so he opened the lone folder contained, and began reading the documents there. It seemed like nothing of great importance, so he skipped to the end. The last line left him bewildered:

 _For the genetic, sociological, and other reasons listed above, I can safely conclude that there is sufficient evidence to alter our current theories of evolution. Mammals share far too much in common with only each other, that which cannot be tied to any known species, to allow for independent evolution of speech, bipedal motion, and societal conceptions. It is infinitely more likely that we were not born of these traits, but were made in the image of some other beings, based on fossil records to be between about two-thousand six-hundred to two-thousand eight-hundred years ago. Given evidence I have uncovered from numerous (private) sources, I shall call these mysterious beings 'human', derived from the theoretical missing branch of the primate order, hominidae._

Jack began to shake with rage. He lost Skye for what, a religious creationist speech? And the lengths that this mysterious society that the professor mentioned were willing to go to keep it covered up included freely killing? He holstered his gun, before setting up several scripts and copies. He would confront them, and in the event that he wasn't allowed to return, the document would be automatically uploaded to every major forum, copies distributed to every news site with a letter of last resort from Jack. Once released, there would be no hope of recovering or deleting it. He checked his gun, and left for the mysterious '1 Linnaeus Drive'.

* * *

Jack parked his car at the base of the hill, before proceeding up. At the top, there appeared to be a manor of some sort obscured by the trees, overlooking a lake. He threw the doors open; the room appeared to be some sort of hotel lobby. At the desk, there stood a goat in black uniform, who gave him a strange glance.  
"It's getting dark out," the goat mentioned.  
"Save me the sermon. Tell me which way."  
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand."  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?"  
"My apologies, but this is private property. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."  
Jack continued past, ignoring the goat's bleats of protest; he wandered along a relatively long hallway, until he came to a second set of double doors. At this point, the goat grabbed his shoulder and began shouting commands. Jack pushed him away, before showing his badge.  
"If you don't cease your pathetic complaining, I will have no choice but to arrest you. However, I'm not really in an arresting mood," he responded, resting his paw on his gun. "Go ahead, make my day."  
The goat raised his arms and backed off several steps.

Jack threw the second set of doors open and barged in. The room appeared to be a dimly lit auditorium; stagelights cast the focus on a speaker in the center, and also brightly illuminated a large bronze statue of a strange figure wielding a globe. All around, the seats were filled with hundreds of mammals, clothed in brilliant starry robes, each wearing a different caricatured mask representative of their species.  
"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" the speaker on the stage inquired. The mask, as well as his figure, showed that he was some type of feline; most likely a jaguar. Jack went down the stairs, confronting the robed mammal.  
"What is the meaning of this?!" Jack seethed.  
"Theater club. Please, leave."  
"I suppose you're responsible for the forty-five deaths at ZSS headquarters?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"And, perhaps, this 'Professor Moriarty' was one of your rank?"  
The jaguar's breathing grew noticeably heavy, but he remained silent.  
"I lost my love because one of you failed to keep him quiet. Which one of you was it?"  
"Your love?" someone in the front row inquired.  
"A vixen, white as snow; Skye was her name."  
"A vixen? Well, I suppose it's not too much of a matter; there are plenty of rabbits in the world for you to run along with."  
"Implying?" Jack hissed.  
"It's unnatural for a fox and a rabbit to—"  
Jack took out his gun and shot the mammal in the leg, before leaping and kicking her in the face, shattering her mask. Nearly everyone stood to intervene, but Jack pointed his weapon at the would-be attackers.  
"One more step and I'll kill each and every one of you."  
"You won't get far. Antares has with him a dartgun loaded with a poison that would floor you in seconds, and leave you dead in minutes. Any one of our larger members could take you down in an instant."  
"If I fail to show up to work tomorrow, I have orders and safeguards in place to publish Moriarty's paper all across the world."  
"His paper of fairy tales?" the jaguar spoke, laughing.  
"If it was full of fairy tales, why did you have me kill him?"  
"Your boss had you kill him for some other reason. We have no involve—"  
"No. I know for a fact it was for the paper, and I know for a fact that the previous director was a part of this little 'theater club'. Don't test me."  
"You are the new director, are you not?"  
"Yes."  
"Well, it was only a matter of time before we invited you anyways. I suppose we could expedite the process to tonight."  
"What did you do to upset the professor?"  
"We didn't do anything. He wasn't even one of our rank. He learned a little too much, and we didn't want to allow him to spread any… let's call them rumors."  
"Why would rumors bother you?"  
"Because the rumors are true."  
"Meaning?"  
"I'm sure you have the paper with you, right?"  
"One of the several hundred copies, yes."  
"And what were the contents?"  
"Evolution is a lie. He advocated creationism of some form or another."  
"I… don't follow."  
"He spoke of some mysterious missing species of primate that existed two-thousand eight-hundred years ago."  
"Long before that, leading up until about then," a giraffe answered from the audience.  
"So it's true? I want proof."  
"How about you put the gun down, and we can take you to the archives."  
"You take me for a fool, don't you?"  
"Well, I suppose we have to start with the basics. I am Arcturus, and I invite you to the Astral Court in the place of your former mentor."

* * *

 **A/N: A little backstory on everyone's least favorite character. I won't write a backstory for the villain, because then I'd have to do a hundred more. Just pretend he's a Bond villain, who exists for the plot, is slightly interesting, and vaguely mysterious enough that you wonder, but don't actually care too much. Writing this on top of a regular chapter was exhausting, but I've replenished my supply of caffeine pills, so I should still be in the game. Next chapter will be up as soon as I figure out how to title it.  
**

 **This chapter is full of wonderful references to classic stories. The most obvious (and lampshaded example) is Sherlock Holmes, there's a bit of Alice in wonderland, and the bull named 'Ferdinand Munro' is a reference to Ferdinand the Bull, written by Munro Leaf.**

 **I tried to make Skye witty and funny, especially earlier in the chapter, but I failed miserably. Forgive me. Also, as usual, there are probably a few typos that I couldn't catch, so sorry about that, too.**

 **This doesn't ruin my numbering, since I've actually just named the chapter file something other than 'Chapter 41'. In fact, it's just labeled 'Bonus' on my hard drive. The title that you see took an hour and a watching of the Byron Howard director's interview.**


	43. Chapter XXXVII: History Repeats Itself

**Zootopia Penitentiary**

The car they took appeared to drive the long way to get to the docks; the boat ride was comparatively drawn out, traveling at a very meager pace. The entire trip took well over an hour to cover less than fifteen miles, with light traffic on the roads.

They passed through the prison gates with relative ease; they weren't required to surrender their arms, given that Jack flashed his badge. After they were through, they took a long elevator ride down into the depths of the complex. Soon, the elevator emerged from a carved rock shaft into a wide open area; cells lined the walls by the dozens; the denizens of the prison all leaned against the bars to watch the elevator descend.  
"Welcome to Zootopia Penitentiary," Jack stated, motioning around. "Here, the worst of society rides out the last of their days in relative solitude, isolated from the rest of the world."  
"And the best," Kai muttered.  
"Excuse me?"  
"You said the worst of society. However, seeing how you had half the Court arrested, I'd say the best of society is locked in here, as well."  
"Let's not get caught up on the finer details."  
"I expect all of them to be freed, Jack."  
"I might not live long enough to fill out the paperwork. I'm on borrowed time, as is."  
"You'd better find a way to borrow more time."

They walked all the way through the large hall, tolerating jeers from the inmates, until they reached the end of the room; from there, they entered a second elevator that descended even further. After another several minutes of descent, they exited into a very narrow hallway; here, the cells were spaced very sparsely.  
"And here lie the irredeemable, cursed to never see the daylight again."  
Guards stood every few paces; if there ever was an impenetrable fortress, this seemed to be it to Kai.  
"No emergency exits?" Grace inquired.  
"None."  
"And if there's a fire?"  
"Will anyone miss them?" Jack retorted.  
"So the poor lose hope, and justice shuts its mouth…" Kai mused.

They passed numerous empty cells; some of the filled cells contained mammals that Kai recognized to be in the Court. Eventually, Jack stopped in front of a cell. Inside cowered a small black vixen, shuddering in the corner.  
"Vega?" Jack inquired.  
The fox didn't respond.  
"Regulus," Kai spoke rather loudly, knocking on the cell door. This managed to provoke a response; however, the response was rather pathetic and unsatisfactory: the vixen merely turned slightly, as if to look in the direction of the voice, before standing and stumbling towards him.  
"Who… who's there?" she asked, running into the door.  
"What did they do to you?!"  
"I… I didn't think anyone could hit harder than Father. I was… mistaken."  
"Who did this?" Kai inquired, anger evident in his voice.  
"I suspect it was Jack… but I can't be certain. Every time he left, not ten minutes later, the same guard would come in and beat me. At first I could handle it; I've had worse. But then he hit harder and harder. Maybe if I just feigned pain the first couple of times…" She began to whimper. "Maybe I would still be able to see."  
"Why is she not in the infirmary?!"  
"They must have determined that she didn't need medical attention."  
"She's blind! How can they possibly determine that?!"  
The rabbit shrugged.  
"Jack, let me in," Kai demanded.  
"That would be a breach of protocol."  
"Damn you and your protocol. Open the door, or I break it open."  
"And risk provoking the hundreds of guards?"  
"Armed with tranquilizers? I would kill a thousand of them before they so much as scratched me."  
"And then what?"  
"I would let you die."  
Jack paused, before motioning for a guard; several seconds later, the door was open, and Kai rushed in to inspect Vega's wounds.  
"It's only temporary," the vixen muttered. "Don't get so worked up."  
A few minutes of examination allowed Kai to confirm her hypothesis.  
"Well?" Jack inquired.  
"Well, what?" Kai responded.  
"What about her notes?"  
"You had her beaten senseless, and you want her notes?"  
"Not just me…" Vega muttered very quietly.  
"What? Who else?"  
"I… can't remember."  
"You can talk, they can't hurt you."  
"No, I genuinely can't remember. All I remember is watching her on camera, but…"  
Kai held her close; they sat there silently for several minutes.  
"This is all my fault. I should have taken care of business here, first, before I abandoned everything," Kai muttered.  
"I don't blame you. It's all on that stupid rabbit."  
"Speaking of which, why did you infect Jack?" Kai inquired.  
"He promised me Neal." She began to tear up.  
"Neal is dead."  
"I know. I should have known that Jack was lying, but the possibility of seeing him again…"  
Kai shook his head.  
"Jack, you're a monster."  
"It is true; her boyfriend yet lives," he responded absentmindedly.  
"Then why did you have her arrested before showing her? Or at all, in fact?"  
"Unfortunate timing."  
"I want proof that he's alive, Jack."  
"And you shall have it."  
Kai turned back to the vixen.  
"Don't worry, Lyra. You'll be free, soon. I'll see to it. Before I go, however, I want to know: who beat you?"  
"The rhinoceros. I never saw his badge long enough to know his name, but I remember that it was him."  
He heard a chuckle from outside. A quick glance revealed that the guard that Jack had called was none other than a rhinoceros, currently leaning against the wall, twirling a baton.  
"Hopefully, we'll see each other soon. Preferably outside of this place," Kai spoke quietly, setting her down on the bed before exiting; as the guard locked the cell back up, Kai approached him.  
"Back up," the rhino snorted.  
"If I find out that you hurt her again, you will regret it."  
"Is that a threat?" He held the nightstick with both hoofs now.  
"It's a promise: I'll tear your heart from your chest, still beating, and show it to you, so that as you watch it beat its last, you can wonder if your god will have mercy on you."  
The guard laughed.  
"Sure thing, buddy," he responded.

As they walked back, Kai heard a sharp whisper coming from his left; as he looked over, he saw a grizzly, also in a state of abuse, leaning against the glass.  
"Arcturus?" Kai inquired.  
"Spare no time for him," Jack instructed, continuing along his path.  
"I don't have much time, and I don't want him to hear, so listen carefully," the bear began, very quietly. "Your three are safe. The current head of military is seeing to their well-being. Introduce yourself as the ambassador, and follow his instructions; he can release them into your custody."  
A guard banged his club against the wall.  
"Stop whispering!"  
The bear gave an obscene gesture, and motioned for Kai to move along.

As they rose through the elevator to the surface, Jack began coughing violently, falling to his knees.  
"You still have a long way to go before I cure you," Kai muttered. "I need the rabbit back in my custody, and I want to see Sirius."  
"All in—" More coughing. "Due time."  
"Oh, where else are you going to drag me before you decide that you're too ill to procrastinate any further?"  
"You wanted to see the fox, did you not?"  
Kai sighed.  
"Jack, you can't fool me. Why else would the elder Regulus have my antivirals in Mapleton? I know you couldn't have cured Neal without them."  
"And you don't think it's possible they lied?"  
"This is a trap if I've ever seen one."  
"I'm doing this at my expense; what do you have to lose?"  
He thought for a long time.  
"Fine. Don't think I'll cure you any sooner because of this, and if you even think about using that concealed sidearm, I'll have you dead in a heartbeat."  
"I'll agree to those terms."

As they exited to the fresh air, Jack hailed a helicopter.  
"This place has a helipad, and you made us take a boat? I suspect you wasted time so that Lyra wouldn't say anything unsatisfactory," Kai accused.  
"Who, me? No, you jest," the rabbit replied.  
They boarded the craft, taking off with bearing West of the city.  
"Where are you taking us?" Grace growled.  
"Military hospital."  
"Judy is there, too, am I not mistaken?" Kai inquired.  
"Yes. In fact, Sirius, as well."  
"Why is Sirius in a hospital?"  
"Well… he killed two of my agents and shot at me. We had to incapacitate him, and he was injured."  
"That idiot, I told him to go quietly. You had better pray that he suffered no permanent damage."  
"Well… I can't make that promise. Ask him why he tried to crush me in between his jaws, and you'll have the reason."  
Kai buried his face in his palms.

After a decently long time in the air, a rather large building came into sight.  
"Why so far out?" Kai inquired. "Why not Zootopia General?"  
"Well, I like to keep distance between prisoners and those that would free them. If they weren't injured, they would be in prison."  
They landed on the roof, leaving the helicopter and entering a stairwell; they would have gone quickly, had Jack not slowed them down at every turn. Having had enough, Kai picked him up before continuing.  
"Basement," Jack guided.

They proceeded following the rabbit's instructions; when they finally reached level ground, Kai set him down to walk on his own. Jack continued to lead the way, albeit slower than before. Several winding turns took them to an elevator, which they used to descend further. Eventually, the doors opened to reveal a hallway, very similar to that of the BCD's labs in Tundratown; beds for patients hidden behind thick-paned glass, with a decontamination separating the rooms from the hall.  
"And you purport Neal to be in one of these rooms?"  
"I know he is. You just have to trust me."  
Jack took several steps out before falling to his knees, breathing heavily.  
"Get up," Grace demanded.  
"I…" Jack trailed off before collapsing.  
"It's a trap," she hissed. "Don't fall for it."  
"Well, I would believe you," Kai commented, "Except for the fact that his heart stopped."  
He quickly retrieved something from his pack and kneeled down next to the rabbit, flipping him over.  
"And you're going to save him?"  
"You would let him die before he upholds his end of the bargain?"  
She shrugged, also huddling close. Kai withdrew several syringes, systematically injecting them into the rabbit. After the last plunger was depressed, he began to sit still, waiting.  
"What, you're not going to do CPR?"  
"There's no point. He'll be in working order soon, anyways, and I don't know CPR for rabbits."  
True to his word, Jack began hacking and coughing, before sitting up, leaning against the wall.  
"What happened?" he asked, taking very shallow breaths.  
"You died. Out of the goodness of his heart, he brought you back," Grace elaborated, before slapping him across the face.  
"What the hell?!"  
"That's for leaving me for dead. If this happened again and you died, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying smacking your corpse."  
"I didn't leave you for dead. Quite the opposite, in fact; I wanted you to live."  
"What you had in mind was worse than death," Kai chastised. "Now, take me to Neal."  
"What did you put in me? It burns something fierce."  
"Panacea and antivirals. I upheld my end of the deal early, I expect you to stay true to your word."  
"You… saved me?"  
"I never would have let you die. Even after everything you've done, there's nothing that we can't fix."  
"I… don't know what to say."  
"A 'thank you' would be a good start."  
"Thank you."  
"Alright. Now, the fox?"  
"Of course."

Jack led the way with renewed vigor; several turns later, he stopped in front of a room, seemingly at random.  
"There he is," he spoke, motioning towards the bed; there appeared to be a figure with white fur resting there, but the viewing angle didn't allow for a good look. "Rabies-free, I might add."  
"Then why are you keeping him here?" Kai demanded.  
"Well, we're sampling his blood; antibodies never go amiss, and we've already isolated the biological derivatives of what we believe is the panacea."  
"He's just a lab rat, then?"  
"Well… in you terms, I suppose he is. He's not being hurt; induced coma."  
Kai threw the first door open, and then the second, approaching the bed; Grace quickly followed him inside, not donning a suit on Jack's advice. The man inspected every facet of the fox's features, before his companion pushed him aside for her own look.  
"It's a white fox, but his fur is trimmed, and a few features are odd; it could be him, but I can't say for sure. Why would you lie, Jack? What about Mapleton?"  
As he turned, he felt a searing pain in his side, accompanied by a loud bang. Grace collapsed and began to scream, writhing on the ground.  
"N-no…" Jack stuttered, dropping his weapon. Kai began shambling to the door, before it slammed shut and locked. His attempts to open it were unsuccessful, and soon, the rabbit reappeared on the other side of the glass window at the control panel.  
"I didn't mean to… I—" he continued.  
"What is the meaning of this, Jack?" Kai hissed.  
"I only wanted to hit you, I—"  
"SPEAK!"  
The rabbit took several moments to compose himself before speaking.  
"I saw a golden opportunity, and I took it. You are the only thing keeping me from fulfilling conditions that would have kept her from dying."  
Kai was taken aback.  
"Her?"  
"They say to love and to have lost is better than to have never loved at all. It's a sham. Every night I hear her last words. She was tired of pressing on, begged that I stop dragging her along, and it's all because we were stuck, trapped alone in the wilds. I shot through her to kill the agency's contract, and I was unable to get her antibiotics. She didn't bleed out; no, she suffered through a week of gangrene and infection before wasting away. Rescue came the next day. I never want anyone else to experience that pain, human; all you had to do was give your panacea up. Instead, you hoard it all to yourself and your chosen elite."  
"Who is she? You told me that you never loved."  
"I lied. I'm good at that, better than you are, if I do say."  
"I doubt it. Open the door, Jack. It's still not too late."  
"No. You are the only thing standing between all of the worlds resources and Zootopia. Between me and Skye's would-be salvation."  
"That's a very non sequitur method of thinking, Jack. I don't know how you could have possibly reached the conclusion that having free access to resources in the city could have saved your beloved in the jungle."  
"Rescue crews were stretched thin. They knew we were out there; it's impossible that they didn't. No one wants to spare any gas to travel a hundred miles there, and a hundred miles back. Care to wager a guess why?"  
"Resources."  
"Precisely."  
"I don't get it, Jack. You wanted me locked up. Now, you want me dead?"  
"I only wanted you out of my way, preferably in a manner where I could use your knowledge. Seeing how I have Achernar and Rigel, that is no longer necessary."  
"You don't know what you're doing, Jack."  
"I know exactly what I'm doing. We will win any war we can start, now that we have some semblance of an understanding of human technology."  
"I know loss, Jack. Believe me, instigating a war over one person isn't—"  
"She was my whole world!"  
Grace's screams were slowly growing louder; her wound began producing wisps of smoke. Jack placed a paw tenderly on the glass, leaning heavily against it.  
"And I never meant to shoot Grace; that bullet was meant for you."  
"What, you care for her after dumping her in the asylum?"  
"I couldn't bear to kill her! Why do you think I left her untouched at the air base in Sagarmatha? I launched the missile from there, I could have easily had her killed. Instead, I had them treat her like a god!"  
"So Grace was her real name, after all…"  
"What, you thought it was something else? She was slowly becoming a patch for the hole in my heart, and my obligation to the Court forced me to do away with her! You forced me to do away with her!"  
"Listen, Jack… I know nothing I say can make it up to you, but this is information you could have told me earlier. I would have spared panacea; I still can, if you—"  
"I'm not letting you out. The second I open that door, you'll just tear my throat out. No, I've chosen this path, and I'll see it through to the end." He withdrew a small key from his pocket and inserted it into the console, giving it a quarter-turn. "If it's any consolation, your death will be far less painful than what she's suffering through right now," he continued, motioning to Grace.  
"What did you shoot her with?"  
"Plutonium-238. I would have gone with your famed cobalt, but it's unbelievably rare; strip-mining for your war efforts made sure of that." He put his paw on the button.  
"You have plutonium?" The man's face grew into one of shock as he realized what it meant. "You built a bomb!"  
"Well, we're working on it; refining weapons-grade plutonium is the hardest part."  
"So this is it, then? You're going to kill the last human on Earth and repeat our mistakes?"  
"By the Court's estimates, there are at least a dozen more, and humanity's mistake wasn't building bombs, it was using them incorrectly."  
"So you start this war. What next?"  
"I don't have to explain anything to a dead man."  
He hit the button. Before the metal shutter slammed over the window, Kai caught a glimpse of him walking away, tears silently etching their way down his face.

The first thing Kai did was assess his own wound; nothing serious, the bullet merely grazed him. A quick glance at the wolf revealed that it entered her back, with no visible exit wound. He had no time to worry about her at the moment, instead redirecting his attention to the window. The shutter appeared to be solidly mounted, and a quick jerk revealed that it would take considerable effort to remove.

Kai steeled his nerves and pried one of the bars off; it was reinforced to not be pulled off, and his struggles evidenced it. He returned to his pack, retrieving his railgun. Loading and aiming it at the exposed glass, he fired. The telltale whine signaled the end of the clear barrier, allowing him to reach through to the panel and remove the key.

The shutter lifted, nearly taking his arm with it, but they had their way out. Kai grabbed the now-unconscious Grace and threw her unceremoniously to the other side before returning to the fox. He quickly cut the restraints, lifted the fox from the bed, and jumped through. Once on the other side, he reinserted the key and turned to lower the shutter back into a safe position. Not twenty seconds later, flames began billowing through the one open bar.

Now safe, he devoted resources to inspecting the others. The fox seemed alive, albeit in a coma; his breathing and heart rate were remarkably slow, and any attempts to wake him at the present time were fruitless. Instead, he turned his attention to the injured wolf.  
"Grace?" Kai inquired, gently shaking the wolf. Not getting a response, he injected a slew of medications. Slowly, she regained her consciousness, no longer screaming in pain.  
"What happened?"  
"Jack betrayed us. You've been shot."  
"I don't feel so good. I can't feel my legs." She craned her neck around to look behind herself. "Why am I smoking?"  
"He didn't hit your spine. I can only assume that the heavy metal poisoning, heat, and radiation are interfering with your nerves. The smoke is presumably from the plutonium's radioactivity and pyrophoricity burning you on the inside."  
"I don't want to die. You can save me, right? Jack told me your kind was capable of anything."  
"I can try, but no guarantees." He quickly reached into his pack and pulled out his field kit.  
"Wait, what are you… what are you doing?!"  
"I have to get most of the fragments out, or else you'll die of poisoning." Kai took out his scalpel, and after checking its sharpness, flipped the wolf into a prone position. "I don't have anything to sedate you, and painkillers can only do so much, so if this hurts, I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Several Floors Up**

Sirius was lying alone in a very bleak room; he would have stared at the ceiling, but he already grew tired of its blank appearance, and being limited to only one eye quickly gave him a headache. As he listened to the constant beeping of the heart-rate monitor, he felt nothing; whether it was because he accepted the events that unfolded, or because he was filled with painkillers, he did not know.

His silent meditation was interrupted by the creak of the door. He craned his neck to see who entered, and saw Jack.  
"Jack, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Sirius inquired dryly.  
"What have I done?" Jack uttered, voice wavering.  
"I've been wondering that for about a week. I'm glad you finally see what you're—"  
"No, I've killed them!" He sat in a chair adjacent the bed and buried his face into the sheets.  
"You kill a lot of mammals every day. Why should 'they' be any more trouble?"  
"The human is dead, and I… shot Grace."  
Sirius laughed.  
"Procyon's not dead. He wouldn't die to anything less than an army."  
"I locked him in an isolation room and started a burn."  
"You… you idiot!" Sirius attempted to reach the rabbit, but his wrists were handcuffed to the bed. "Why?!"  
"I saw an opportunity and I took it, but…" He began to weep. "I'm beginning to doubt it was a good one."  
"Why couldn't you just be happy with what you had?! Why do you always need more?!" Sirius lambasted.  
"I—"  
"No, instead you had to kill off an endangered species, and destroy two-thousand years of order!"  
"This had been a long time coming, Ian! You will never know what I feel!"  
Sirius shook his head.  
"You're right about that. One would have to be sick and deranged to feel what you feel. Life means nothing to you anymore."  
"I am acting in the best interests of all of society!"  
"You're merely fulfilling your guilt-driven dreams!"  
Jack hopped off of the chair and began walking to the door.  
"I don't know why I thought I would find comfort in talking with you," he hissed.  
"Neither do I, especially after you broke into my home, stabbed my eye out, and shot me."  
"I hope you never have to hurt someone dear to you."  
"You never had to hurt them, Jack. You only chose to, because you can't let go. You had better be proud of your own actions, since no one else will be."  
The rabbit produced a long, drawn out sigh.  
"In a different world, Ian, you would have been on my side."  
"And why's that?"  
"You're young; the public loves you!"  
"Yeah, and you publicly denouncing me as a cannibal will definitely make them love me more."  
"All I have to say is that it was necessary to draw someone out of hiding; a red herring, if you will."  
"And my injuries? How do you explain those away?"  
"I'll manage. Just a few words, Ian. All you have to do is help, and I can get you out of this mess with just a few words."  
"I serve the public before I serve myself, Jack, and I know that a war is not what the public needs."  
Jack shook his head.  
"You'll understand soon enough, but it will be too late by then. I'll be back in a few hours to see if you change your mind."  
"I won't."  
Jack exited, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 **Basement**

Kai had just cauterized the final incisions he made, and was now supplying a few more injections. Grace couldn't help but stare at the smoldering metal embers on the ground beside her.  
"Was that inside me?"  
"Yep."  
"I feel… weak."  
"Well, that's normal." He started to wrap bandages around her. "You just had several grams of plutonium in you. The bullet shattered on impact, too, so there might still be some in there. You need a real doctor as soon as we get out."  
"You're not a doctor?"  
"Field medicine hardly qualifies, although I'm sure my repositories of knowledge would make me eligible for numerous doctoral degrees."  
"Humble bragger, huh?"  
"You could say that." He rotated her back around, trying to help her sit up.  
"Ow! Not yet!" she protested.  
"The narcotics I gave you have a long metabolic half-life; I think you're faking it for attention."  
"Caught again. To be honest, I don't think I'll be able to stand."  
"You told me your name, and I never gave you mine," Kai stated, cradling her head.  
"Oh?"  
"It's Garrett."  
"What an odd name. Does it mean anything?"  
"Spear-brave, or defender."  
"I see now that you live up to it."  
"How?"  
"You defend those close to you. I thought you going for the leopardess was foolish, but you were just trying to protect her."  
"I hardly deserve it; I couldn't protect you."  
Grace smiled.  
"Shit happens. I'm still alive, in the end."  
"Well, it's not a guarantee yet, but you should make it to a hospital at this rate." He slung the fox over his shoulder before helping her stand. "Well… a hospital that Jack doesn't own, at any rate. Come on, we still have to get out of here."  
"There were guards out front; this might be hard if I need you to balance," she spoke, getting a tighter grip on him.  
"Don't worry about it. I'm going to get you two out, hopefully they've left a car unattended."  
"What about you?"  
"I still have to get Sirius and Judy."  
"Are you sure you can do it alone?"  
"What choice do I have? You can barely walk, and the fox on my shoulders, Neal or otherwise, isn't even conscious."  
She gave a 'hmph' of understanding; they entered the elevator, hitting the button for the ground floor, before ascending.

The doors opened, and Kai quickly snuck a peek outside; several doctors on the far end, but no one close enough to notice their escape. They exited the lift before rounding the corner.  
"Do you know where you're going?" Grace whispered.  
"Theoretically, yes. However, the front entrance isn't exactly the best way out."  
"Side entrance, then?"  
"If we can find one."  
"And if we can't?"  
"I came armed. However, it might be in our best interests if Jack didn't know we lived."  
"Why? He'll act without inhibitions if he thinks no one will stop him."  
"Yes, but at the same time, he won't pursue us. In the condition you're in, it would be better if you had a few days to rest."  
"No time for that."  
"Believe me, as soon as those painkillers wear off, you're going to wish you died."  
"I'll take my chances."  
Kai motioned to stop; there was someone approaching. They quickly ducked into a doorway, pressing up against the wall. Several uniformed mammals passed by, while one branched off from the group and walked to the windows across from them. The soldier opened up the window, before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up.  
"Why aren't we going?" Grace whispered.  
"He's in the way. He'll see us and hear us if we go."  
"Hey, put that out!" someone shouted from the other end of the hall. A doctor ran up and began to berate the soldier; as the latter turned around, he furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes.  
"What are you lot doing here? No moving about without an escort!"  
"We… uh… lost ours," Grace commented. "That's why we're waiting around for someone to show up; thank God you did, or—"  
The soldier reached to his radio, while the doctor began to approach them. Kai dropped the wolf, before grabbing and throwing the doctor into the other mammal; the pair stumbled, falling over and shouting. The human quickly wrung their necks, before dragging them through the doorway he occupied not a moment earlier.  
"You killed them? Just like that?"  
"Tranquilizers aren't instant. They would have radioed for backup, and we would have lost our anonymity." He lifted her back up.  
"It takes years for an agent of the ZSS to learn how to kill like that. Even longer before they get a license to kill, and years still before they let death mean nothing to them."  
"Death always means something. Besides, I don't recall saying that I learned everything I know overnight."  
"How long?"  
"Ten years."  
"That's… actually a long time, less than ZSS agents train."  
"Yes, but do you really think any ZSS agent, hell, even twelve ZSS agents, could stand up to me?"  
"What, thirteen too much for you?"  
"Thirteen is the point where I may need equipment."  
She laughed.

They continued walking, occasionally stopping to let patrols pass; they followed the overhead exit signs until they came to a stairwell.  
"Up or down?" Grace inquired.  
"Down; we're not on ground level."  
"How do you know?"  
"The guard was smoking out of a window. You don't bury windows."  
"I… forgot, actually."  
"Well, you've been shot, so I can't blame you."  
Not long after, they exited onto a paved road.  
"Not good," Kai muttered, lifting Grace into his arms and quickening the pace.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Paved road, nowhere to hide; if someone comes by, we'll be seen."  
True to his word, not ten seconds later, an open-aired transport drove by; the driver immediately stopped, while both he and his passenger removed their sidearms and exited.  
"Who are you?!" One of them interrogated. Kai gently set down the wolf in his arms, followed by the fox, and began fishing in his vest.  
"Stop!" the second one commanded.  
"I'm getting papers. Hold on," Kai spoke calmly; as soon as they lowered their weapons, he immediately rushed them, strangled them, and threw both of them into the back of their vehicle, covering them with the canvas tarp that already lay there.  
"Heh, they brought the car to us," Grace commented.  
"Aptly observed. Can you drive?"  
"Of course I can drive."  
"I mean, you can barely stand. Are you good to drive?"  
"I can try."  
Kai helped her into the driver's seat, and strapped the fox into the passenger's seat, before giving Grace his carbine.  
"Find some place inconspicuous to hide. It doesn't have to be here, since I can find my own way."  
"Where? I don't know how to get back to Zootopia."  
"You have a phone?"  
"Yeah, it's still on me, but ZSS phones don't have GPS tracking."  
"Just follow the main road. If you can, make it to the downtown precinct of the ZPD."  
"Why? Those clowns are incapable of keeping Jack away."  
"Call it a base of operations; that, and you need medical attention."  
"But Jack and his cohort own the hospitals!"  
"Hopefully, if you make it there, you can get armed guard."  
She scoffed.  
"Oh, and take some painkillers for the road. Having molten bullet fragments embedded in you doesn't sound pleasant." He withdrew and handed several syringes to her. "Go; quickly, now. I can't imagine the next patrol will be far behind."  
She nodded and drove off. He waited until she rounded the corner before ducking back inside; as soon as he did, he caught a glimpse of another transport coming his way.

Now inside, he climbed several flights of stairs until he found a sign that read 'Trauma Level'. He cracked the door and took a quick peek; a lone soldier was stationed in the hallway. He gently rapped on the door, before closing it. Like clockwork, it was opened by the curious guard; Kai seized the opportunity to put him in a chokehold, dragging him into the stairwell.  
"I'm looking for a wolf. Patient at this facility. Where?" He slightly eased up on his grip, and the guard began shouting; immediately, he choked tighter than before. "Tell me where I can find Senator Cynewulf, and I might not prolong your suffering."  
"Why?" the guard coughed out. He tightened his chokehold again.  
"'Why' doesn't sound like a location. Where can I find Senator Cynewulf?"  
"Room… four-oh-six."  
With a sickening crunch, the guard was dead; Kai slung him over his shoulders, and proceeded to the aforementioned room.

He turned the doorknob and pushed; the door creaked open slowly.  
"The answer is still no, Jack," rung out a voice from inside.  
"What about for an old friend?" Kai spoke, haphazardly tossing the dead soldier onto the ground.  
"You're alive!"  
"I'm glad to see you, too. Although, you may want to keep it down."  
"Get over here!" Kai approached, and Sirius leaned in to hug him.  
"Easy, there, your tail's wagging again."  
"Jack said he locked you up to burn!"  
"He did. Actually, he did more than that, but it's a long story. I'd prefer that he didn't know I was alive, yet."  
"I knew you wouldn't go down that easily."  
"Why the display of affection, then? Surely you didn't think I was dead?"  
"Of course not!"  
"You're trying to cop a belly rub, aren't you?"  
"You see right through me, as usual."  
"It'll have to wait. First, I need to get you out of here."  
"Oh, thank God! I've been dying to get out of bed, but if the security didn't stop me, the pain certainly would."  
"Pain?"  
"What, you think Jack would spare painkillers for me?"  
"That bastard," Kai muttered, shaking his head. "However, pain or no pain, that doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot."  
"Hey, that hurts almost as much as my missing eye."  
"I specifically _told_ you not to fight, yet you did so anyways, and look what happened." He motioned to Sirius' entirety. "I take it you lost your eye in the scrimmage?"  
"Jack stabbed it out; fighting dirty, as usual. Can't blame him, seeing how he's maybe a third of my height. I got a good bite in on him, though."  
"So I've heard."  
"Seriously though, you wouldn't happen to have any painkillers, would you?"  
"A few." He retrieved a syringe and pushed it through the IV line. "How were you injured?"  
"Shot several times. I have to say, the pain wasn't initially as bad as I thought it would be, but maybe ten minutes later, I felt like I was burning up inside."  
"You already had it all removed, right?"  
"I dunno. I've been through surgery twice, but I can't say for sure what they've done to me."  
Kai ran his fingers across the wolf's belly, searching for the wounds.  
"Oh, yeah… that really hits the spot!" Sirius moaned, lightly kicking a leg.  
"Stop it, this is serious." He found an entry wound, and inspected it closely. "Stitches seem fresh. I wouldn't risk aggravating them."  
"Meaning?"  
He withdrew a red vial from his pack.  
"This'll sting," he mentioned.  
"You gave me painkillers."  
"They won't save you." He injected the serum near the wound, and nearly immediately, Sirius began to whine.  
"Ah, damnit! You weren't kidding!"  
"Be quiet! You'll let the whole building know I'm in here."  
"It's really hard when you've got acid in your veins and ants crawling under your skin!"  
Kai began scratching at the wolf's neck; soon, the pained yelps died down, and his flailing became still.  
"You have no idea… but this is the weirdest feeling," Sirius muttered, breathing heavily.  
"I can only imagine. Are you good, yet?"  
"No, no… just a little bit longer."  
"Jesus Christ, Sirius, we need to get out of here as fast as we can."  
"Why not wait a few hours? Jack promised he'd be back."  
"First, I can't hold him to his promises. Second, I've killed five mammals during my brief time here, and I'm sure they know I'm in the building. They'll start searching soon, assuming they haven't already, and if they find me, I'll have problems."  
"Alright, fine. Help me up."  
Kai helped the wolf sit on the edge of the bed.  
"As soon as I disconnect these wires, they'll be on top of us," he warned. "You can walk, right?"  
"Yeah, I'm good to walk. Say, do you have a gun you could give me?"  
"Do you even know how to use one?"  
"No… Well, more or less, but I figured if I'm going to escape from a government facility, I should have a gun in my paws."  
"You're an idiot."  
"Takes one to—"  
"If you finish that statement, I'm leaving you here."  
Sirius promptly shut his mouth.  
"Okay, here's the plan: I get you out of here. From there, I find Nick's rabbit—" Kai continued.  
"Who?" interrupted the wolf.  
"Police Officer Judy Hopps."  
"Oh, her?"  
"Yes. We collect her, and we escape."  
"How do you plan on doing that?"  
"However I can. Preferably, we escape to the lot and take a car, but if that's impossible, I'll have to leave you two somewhere safe and steal one."  
"You mean to say that you don't already have an escape plan."  
"I'll wing it."  
Sirius rolled his eyes; shortly after, Kai disconnected him from the various surrounding machines, and the pair took off through the halls.

* * *

 **A/N: Judy to come next chapter. Sorry if the plot seems all over the place and extremely sudden, but I figured that Jack's betrayal would come off as no surprise, and I thought that delaying it behind another three thousand words of dialogue was very lackluster.**

 **Is Neal really dead? Even I don't know! Muahaha! Actually, I do, but we'll just pretend that this adds suspense, and that this isn't just a stupid plot device. Hell, if Hideo Kojima can get away with even dumber shenanigans, why can't I do this?**

 **Title is a reference to the famous quote, and what Jack is leading himself into.  
"Those who do not learn from history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them."**

 **Also, after last chapter, do you hate Jack still, or just pity him? I think I just bumped him from 'Cruel Monster' to 'Tragic Villain'.**

* * *

Fun Fact #41: Twenty-four (24) European rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859. In less than a century, there were 600 million rabbits spread all across the landmass.


	44. Chapter XXXVIII: From Frying Pan to Fire

After several more interrogations, Kai and Sirius had finally found the location of the rabbit's room. Sirius stole an appropriately sized uniform from one of the downed guards; he had a very slight resemblance to a guard, but his intention was more for decency than an actual disguise. It took them a few minutes more to finally reach the room. Kai knocked on the door, but to no avail; in truth, he expected as much, and anticipated that they would find her in a state of confinement. However, when he finally opened the door, her situation appeared much worse than he originally thought it would be.

Judy was strapped to a wooden chair, with an IV line in her arm. Blood dripped from her nose and mouth, and she was hunched over, quietly muttering to herself.  
"Good God, what's wrong with her?!" Sirius exclaimed. Kai quickly made his way to her, and held her head up; she didn't react to seeing him. He then turned to the IV bags; there were three in total: one a deep and opaque red color, one a clear off-white color, and the last one was clear as water.  
"Clotting factor and blood cell concentrate, blood plasma, vitamin K…" Kai muttered, reading the labels.  
"Those don't sound dangerous," Sirius remarked, taking a seat in one of the chairs.  
"No, it looks like they're giving her medicine to counteract the bleeding. That doesn't explain the vitamin K, however."  
"Well, it's possible she suffered an overdose of a K-inhibiting blood thinner."  
"And how could you possibly know that?"  
"My family comes from medicine, Procyon."  
"And you chose politics?"  
"Hey, I was a slacker in college. Law was an easy way to retain my grades, seeing how I was good at it. I don't really regret the decision."  
"Despite your lost eye?"  
"Right, how about instead of chastising me, you help the rabbit?"  
"I don't think I can."  
"Why not?"  
"I'm out of panacea, and I don't have anything else except for antimicrobial injections and painkillers."  
"So what, you just leave her to die?"  
"I have to get her out of here. If she survives the journey, which at this point is doubtful, I'll have to take her with me to my bunker. I have more medications and treatment options there."  
"Remind me again, how did you run out of meds? Aren't you supposed to be prepared for anything?"  
"Strong as I may be, I can still only carry so much. Her best bet lies back home."  
"What about me? Where are you going to drop me off?"  
"I could leave you at the police station."  
"Are you kidding? They'll arrest me!"  
"In that case, as much as it pains me to say this, I suppose you're coming along, too."  
"Pains you? What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius placed his paws on his hips and narrowed his gaze.  
"You're annoying, and I won't get anything done if you keep bothering me."  
"Hey!" Sirius responded, upset.  
"I only speak the truth."  
"I at least hope you won't blindfold me this time."  
"No." He turned back to the rabbit, and tried to elicit a response from her. "Madam? Can you hear me?"  
She, again, mumbled incoherently.  
"Judy, how many fingers am I holding up?" He held up two fingers.  
"Two," she responded very weakly.  
"What did they do to you?"  
"Poison… they poisoned me…"  
"Do you know what they used?"  
"No… The rabbit mentioned blood types, and called some black fox… Talked for a while… He made her watch me as he left…"  
"Vega?" Sirius inquired.  
"What did they talk about?" Kai questioned.  
"Some cure for him… Tried to guilt her into revealing a cure for him…"  
"But you don't know what they poisoned you with?"  
"He came back not too long ago, promised…" She let out a large yawn. "Promised that it was temporary. Told me that after I started feeling better, he would take me back to Nick."  
"His word means nothing. Come on, let's get you out of here."  
"No… I need to see Nick," she mumbled, turning away.  
"You're delirious, not thinking straight. You might not survive the journey."  
"It… it doesn't matter."  
Kai shook his head.  
"Back in my day, animals favored self-preservation."  
"Are you implying I'm an animal?" she scorned.  
"Yes. We're all animals. Some just happen to be crueler than others. Sirius, pick her up, and take the IV bags, too."  
"What, do I look like a fucking octopus?" Sirius barked back. "I only have two arms."  
"You'd better manage; I have to gun."  
Sirius took the rabbit in his arms, before grabbing the tops of her IV bags in his teeth; initially, she attempted to wriggle out of his grip, but gave up. Sirius struggled momentarily, but eventually found a stable hold. Kai couldn't help but smile at the sight.  
"Not. One. Word," Sirius mumbled, mouth full.  
"I'll save the comments for when we get back to society."

Kai walked to the door, before peeking to make sure the coast was clear. Once he was satisfied, he motioned for Sirius to follow. They traveled down the hallway through several turns, until Sirius stopped.  
"Come on," Kai hissed. "We don't have time to wait!"  
The wolf set Judy into a wheelchair, hanging the bags on the attached rack.  
"This'll be faster," he promised, beginning to wheel her along.  
"It has a squeaky wheel. They'll notice us."  
"I can barely notice it, and I have good hearing. We'll be fine."  
The second they turned the corner, they found two more uniformed soldiers staring them down.  
"I thought I heard a squeaky wheel," one of them commented. Kai shot a dirty look at Sirius. "What are you doing out here?"  
"Escort," Sirius quickly invented.  
"You're their escort?"  
"Is that a problem?"  
"You look scrawny! I can't believe they let you join!"  
Sirius tapped on his lapel, showing off the rank insignia.  
"Major!" they spoke, surprised, saluting simultaneously.  
"At ease," Sirius commanded. "Thankfully, I'm in a good mood, so I'll ignore your observations." They both breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, as you were."  
The two guards quickly scrambled around a corner, leaving them alone in the hallway.  
"And where did you learn that?" Kai inquired.  
"Learn what?" They resumed their way through the building.  
"Military lingo, chain of command?"  
"Oh, maybe three weeks ago, the latest season of—"  
"On second thought, I don't particularly care."

They proceeded through several more hallways, until they reached the ambulance bay. From there, they arbitrarily maneuvered between the rows of ambulances until they found one suitable to their liking. Careful as to not generate any undue noise, they transferred Judy into the back, before each taking a seat.  
"You know, this was easier than I thought it would be," Sirius remarked, taking off the military cap and leaning back in his seat.  
"I have a feeling it's not over, yet."  
"Life isn't a movie, Procyon. As long as you don't make a scene, we'll be all good."  
"And the gate?"  
"Just flip the siren on. They can't hold you."  
"Tell me, how are you so certain of your plan?"  
"The only two guards we ran into let us by without any questions. Trust me."  
"Perhaps you should drive. At least until we're in the clear."  
"Why?"  
"You're in uniform."  
Sirius shook his head gently, producing an unsatisfactory expression.  
"I hate driving. Why do you think I have a chauffeur?"  
"What, scared?"  
"Why would you think that?"  
"Your tail's tucked between your legs."  
"You may not have any experience with these things, but that's where tails tend to be attached."  
"What, up your ass?"  
"When I sit, it doesn't vanish!"  
"So instead of folding it around, you sit on it?"  
"I'll have you know that I have better awareness of my appendages than you think!" he retorted, insulted. His gaze went blank, and he slowly looked down to find that, in fact, Kai had been correct. "I'll also have you know that it does that on its own."  
"Just shut up and drive. We've got a dying rabbit in the back, and I promised her safe return to a certain fox."  
Sirius rolled his eyes, eventually switching seats with the man. He flipped on the lights and siren, and began racing along the building towards the gate. There, a guard walked out in front of the post, holding a paw to stop them.  
"Genius, Sirius," Kai remarked.  
The guard approached and knocked on the window. Sirius reluctantly lowered it after a brief delay.  
"What are you doing?" the guard inquired.  
"Got a call from seven miles out, sounds like a stroke."  
"Why are you in uniform?"  
"I didn't have time to change out."  
The guard looked him up and down, before signaling to raise the gate.  
"I'm not sure I buy it, but I can't risk a life for my suspicions." He waved them past, and they exited before the guard could reconsider.

Once they were a considerable distance away, Sirius switched off the light and pulled over.  
"You drive. I nearly had a heart attack back there."  
"You did fine. There was no need to be nervous."  
"That was stupid blind luck that they didn't check us out any further! I don't know how you aren't freaking out!"  
"Why are you angry? It was your plan to begin with."  
Sirius ran his paws down his face, noticeably distorting his features.  
"I need a drink when we get back."  
Kai laughed, switching seats with the wolf.  
"We'll have a round; I've got plenty of exotic liquors back home."  
"I almost forgot you're taking me with you. Tell me, other than alcohol, what else are you stockpiling?"  
"The entire human history of oddities."  
"Like what?" Sirius asked, dropping his previously angry tone.  
"You just want to eat, don't you?"  
"Hospital food is terrible. Please tell me you have more jerky."  
"Jerky is hardly the tip of the iceberg."  
As Kai drove for almost another half hour, Sirius continued pondering his expectations aloud. Eventually, they pulled over again.

"Here we are. Get the rabbit from the back, and get ready for a climb," Kai spoke, exiting.  
"How much of a climb?" Sirius responded, climbing out to the back of their wagon. "I might need help carrying everything if it's steep enough."  
"It's just a rabbit, Sirius. I'm sure you'll manage. Besides, I'm almost certain her IV line is empty."  
"Well, take it out, then."  
"I thought you came from medicine, Sirius?" Kai mocked, opening the back door and tending to the rabbit briefly.  
"You're not going to let that go, are you?"  
"Not a chance." He removed the line and gave Judy to his companion, before setting off. "Let's go."

Sirius continued to pester him for the next fifteen minutes, until they came to a stop before a seemingly barren rock-face.  
"Is this it?"  
"Yes." He took Judy from the wolf, before motioning to a small handle. "Go ahead. If I recall correctly, you wanted to give it a go the last time you were here."  
Sirius rubbed his paws together, before getting a firm grip. Once he had one, he pulled with all his might. The door gave no indication of moving.  
"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"  
Kai smirked, before heaving the door open with a sharp pull.  
"I'm disappointed."  
"I thought you said any mammal my size could open it!"  
"Yeah, but you're scrawny. My bad."  
"I'm not scrawny…" Sirius whimpered, following Kai inside. "Damn, I forgot how dark it was in here."  
"Elevator's right over there." He gave Judy to Sirius, before helping them into the lift. "I'll see you at the bottom."  
"Wait, wait. Why aren't you coming with?"  
"If it gets stuck, I'll have to get you out."  
"Why would it get stuck?"  
"It was last used around fourteen centuries ago."  
"What?!" Sirius shouted, but the doors closed before he could finish his thought. Kai waited at the top until he heard the cables slowly squeak to a halt. It appeared that it was still operational. Without any more delay, he leaped to the bottom; when he landed, he found a terrified Sirius sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, Judy in lap.  
"Get up," Kai commanded.  
"I could have died!"  
"Unlikely."  
"Don't make me do that again."  
"The alternative is six miles of stairs."  
"I… Well, just fuck me silly."  
"Come on, let's get her to the medical quarters." He offered a hand, which Sirius took, standing up, knees shaking. They walked silently to one of the first doors on the left, where Kai took Judy once more, and set her down in the bed. He walked to the far end of the room before wheeling a machine back, and attached several leads to Judy's wrist. He then took two needles from the machine, and placed both next to each other in her arm. After procuring and attaching several bags of saline to the machine, he flicked a switch on the side, and it slowly whirred to life, humming quietly in operation.  
"What is that?" Sirius inquired.  
"I believe the most accurate term would be life support."  
"She's not that dead, Procyon."  
"Well, it's no surprise that my liver, kidneys, spleen, and lymph nodes are man-made." He patted the machine. "This is just a better version of what's inside me."  
"So what does it do?"  
"She mentioned being poisoned. This is designed to get it out of her blood. Since I can't be certain that Jack didn't give her his AIDS, or what have you, this is a surefire way to fix her up without guesswork."  
"So this is basically a cure-all?"  
"Well, I suppose you could put it that way."  
"Is this standard?"  
"No."  
"Why not?!"  
"Like panacea, it's expensive. War goods could be made cheap, as most laws required such. However, medicine was an unregulated market. They could make something like this, whose parts would have cost slightly over twenty million, and flip it for around half a billion dollars."  
"Why?"  
"Because people are bastards, Sirius. Come on, you mentioned being hungry."

Along the way, Kai left his armaments and belongings by the armory. They walked through the labyrinth-like halls until they came to a large dining hall.  
"This place is huge!" Sirius remarked, his voice echoing in the massive room.  
"Yeah, tell me about it." They walked through the room until they entered a warehouse-like storage. Sirius' eyes went wide at the sight of all the food.  
"That's a lot of food…" he muttered. Kai browsed the selection before finding two dishes, and threw them into a reheater. "What do you have for entertainment?"  
"The archives have just about everything any human has ever made."  
"This place is great!"  
"What leads you to say that?"  
"All the food you could ever eat, a hundred lifetimes of entertainment: history, literature, movies, TV shows, games! I'd love to be here, in some solitude, just exploring what people have done…" He paused at seeing Kai's expression, which was akin to disappointment and lament, rolled into one face. "Oh…"  
"No, please, go on. Tell me, what do you do when the hundred lifetimes are up?"  
"I'm sorry."  
"Never wish to be alone. Not now, and not ever. I would have gladly traded everything here, every guarantee of safety and a warm meal at night, all the medicine in my stores, and all the entertainment in the archives, just to be with someone else. I'm sure that, had I been built not to, I would have gone mad less than a year into my solitude." He removed the food from the machine, and gave one of the trays to Sirius; they walked back to the dining hall, before arbitrarily picking a table at which to sit.  
"What did you do with all of your time?" Sirius asked quietly.  
"A hundred lifetimes of entertainment barely lasted me twenty. I had to invent ways to keep myself entertained for around fifty years."  
"How long are you counting lifetimes?"  
"A hundred and twenty years, give or take a few."  
"So what did you invent?"  
"I worked on a few experiments, did a bit of research. Mostly uninteresting thought experiments that couldn't be solved."  
"Tell me about one of them."  
"I tried to figure out if travel through wormholes was possible."  
"And given the fact that you haven't done it yet, I assume it's not?"  
"Well, technically it is. However, you can't send anything living, or any charged object, or any magnetic object. The electromagnetic singularities would tear apart charged particles, which would make life impossible to sustain. Protons and electrons would be ripped apart."  
"What can you send, then?"  
"Neutrons, other uncharged particles."  
"Is there any use in that?"  
"Well, the technology's not so much about sending as it is about containing."  
"Meaning?"  
"The generator that provides all of this facility's power uses such techniques to confine neutron degenerate matter. It forces it into a spin, and due to some spin properties, they can get more out of magnetism than is put in to generate the spin."  
"I thought perpetual motion was impossible."  
"You're right. Eventually, the core will completely decay, and it will be impossible to keep it stable."  
"So it'll blow apart?"  
"Well… it will destroy the machine with a catastrophic explosion, but seeing how we're six miles underground, I doubt much damage will be done to the surrounding lands. Perhaps an earthquake at most."  
Sirius nodded, signifying his understanding.  
"In fact," Kai continued, "We made a few weapons based on the same technology."  
"Really?"  
"Merely prototypes. We would never actually detonate them."  
"What's the point of a weapon that you never use?"  
"You point it at yourself and threaten to take the whole world with you."  
"I don't understand how any weapon could destroy the whole world."  
"Are you familiar with astronomy?"  
"Procyon, I'm in the _Astral_ Court. Of course I'm familiar with astronomy."  
"Then suppose we take a power core, much like the one that powers this complex."  
"Alright?"  
"It's already the densest real material ever invented. Nearly three-hundred million billion kilograms per cubic meter, it's around twenty-six trillion times denser than lead. If you stood next to it, you could feel its gravitational influence."  
"Where are you going with this?"  
"A nuclear bomb uses high explosives to compress a fissile fuel past criticality, which makes it spontaneously fission."  
"What does this have to do with astronomy?"  
"Imagine then, if you took this massively dense fuel, and surrounded it with even stronger explosives."  
"Would it explode even more spectacularly?"  
"Well, if you do it right, you get a gravitational collapse instead of a stability collapse."  
"Meaning?"  
"You get a black hole. Like the ones at the centers of galaxies, but on a much smaller scale."  
"That's not possible."  
"Gravity is the most powerful force in the universe, Sirius. Push something small enough, and no other force can contest."  
"I still don't buy it. Nothing can compress matter that small."  
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Pluto is not a planet'?"  
"Yes, in a few human texts."  
"When I was young, it had a completely different meaning. There actually used to be a ninth large body orbiting the sun, but it was considered a dwarf planet. Now, it's nothing but dust and remnants of Hawking radiation."  
"You… destroyed a planet?"  
"Indeed we did. A black hole can do one of two things when it's made: the first, in which it can't swallow enough matter to sustain itself, it evaporates with the force of millions of nuclear bombs going off at once."  
"And the second, I presume it does swallow enough matter?"  
"Either way, there won't be much Earth left when it's all over."  
Sirius stared at his empty tray.  
"I'm out of food already?" he muttered.  
"Well, that's what happens when the only things you enjoy are food and worldly pleasures. Follow me." They threw their waste into a nearby bin, which flashed momentarily with a bright incinerating light, before proceeding through the halls once more. They stopped in a room that resembled a theater, with several hundred seats in neat rows, slowly ascending as the distance from the screen increased.  
"And this is?"  
"I need to go run a few errands, so I'll leave you here for the time being." Kai led Sirius to a small console near the back. "You can access the archives from here."  
Sirius' eyes went wide.  
"So, every movie ever made… here?" Sirius asked, eagerly tapping at the console's display. He produced a frown upon seeing that it wasn't working.  
"Less claw, more pad," Kai instructed. Now that he had more success, Sirius produces a greedy grin.  
"What do I start with?" he inquired eagerly.  
"Well, I expect to be gone for about two hours, so how about _Where the Red Fern Grows_. I'm sure you'll enjoy that." He produced a wicked smile, which Sirius seemed not to notice.  
"If you aren't back in time, what next?"  
"I suppose you can start watching _To Kill a Mockingbird_. If I'm still not back, feel free to start _The Animals of Farthing Woods_. Either that, or any movie at random." Sirius made a few notes in his phone, before stowing it.  
"So, where are you going?" the wolf inquired.  
"I have to check that Grace is alright. That, and tell the rest of my party that I'm still alive. I'm sure Nick would be happy to hear that Judy still lives."  
"Alright, I'll be here, then."  
"Don't wander, by the way."  
"Why not? Don't want me to see something?"  
"This place was designed for more than ten thousand people. If you get lost, I may not find you until you start to rot and smell."  
Sirius produced a noise of disgust, before ushering Kai out of the room.

Kai continued back to the armory, rearming himself. He opted to take a bulletproof vest as opposed to his usual stab jacket; he was lucky that Jack's poisoned round never hit him directly: if he took a direct hit, he would be a goner. Other than the extremely heavy armor, he opted to pack light; he wouldn't be spending too much time away, and anything more would weigh him down.

His trek up the stairs was rather short, and he soon found himself in the frigid winter air. The sun had already set, despite the rather early time, and the atmosphere began to cool further. He returned via the stolen ambulance, and before long, parked it by the downtown hospital; he figured it wouldn't be amiss there, and he had no further need of it.

He went the rest of the way on foot, shuffling his feet so as not to leave a suspicious trail in the light covering of snow. Up the stairs, through the doors, and to the desk he went. There, he found a rather small wolf reading a newspaper.  
"About a few hours ago, an odd assortment of mammals walked in. Where are they?"  
"They're with Chief Bogo," the mammal replied. "Something got them excited, they called everyone to the lounge."  
"And you?" Kai asked.  
"Someone has to watch the desk." The officer fanned his newspaper, before resuming his read. "If you go back there, let me know what it is."  
Kai continued through the building, eventually reaching the staff break area. There, roughly two dozen officers surrounded several television screens in an area much too small for all of them. He quickly found Bogo, and with him, the rest of his team, eyes glued to the news.  
"What's—" he began, before being interrupted.  
"Shh!" Leora shushed, pointing to the screen.  
There, in bold letters in a scrolling text along the bottom, read very bad news.

 _Mayor Lionheart arrested in connection with terrorist attack._

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for no updates for the last two weeks. I've been very busy, and caught up in all sorts of work. Even now, I'm procrastinating on a paper due tomorrow, studying for tomorrow's midterm exam, a project due in two days, a couple of labs, and sleep just so I could get this little bit written out. It's fairly short, and it's probably not of the highest quality, but if that's a real problem, I'll just come back and fix this up. I'll give it another read before I post my next chapter, and try to fix up any lingering typos.**

 **On a side note, I got curious as to how the story would have played out if Kai came to a collared Zootopia, a la the original concept. If I'm still interested when all my classes are done, I'll go write a short blurb about it.**

 **I wanted to thank everyone who left me reviews on the story, and PMs to make sure I wasn't dead. I'm not quite there yet. Close, but not quite. Also, sorry if I haven't replied in a while, I'm letting life get in the way.**

 **Chapter title is just the first thing that came to my mind, frying pan being the last few chapters, and fire being the next few.**

 **Before I sign off for a while, I wanted to acknowledge a guest review in which someone complained about my choice of wording in chapter 1. Yeah, I'm being petty, but when I write that people couldn't survive off things grown in a forest, and then immediately mention nuclear winter in the next sentence, I'm not implying that no one has ever lived in a forest. In fact, I live in a forest. However, in cold and dark conditions, hardly anything grows, edible goods even less so. There's a point where I'll acknowledge a mistake and correct it, but this is just ridiculous.**

* * *

Fun Fact #42: The microcontroller in a standard Macbook charger is more powerful than the first Macintosh home computer.


	45. Chapter XXXIX: Secrecy

"This is bad," Kai commented. He quickly shot a glance at his allies, who appeared just as shocked.  
"When did you get here?" Bogo questioned, turning to face him.  
"It's not important. I need to go."  
"Wait a damn second. You promised me answers when you returned!"  
"It'll have to wait. I need to fix this."  
"Why? They showed evidence that Mayor Lionheart helped to orchestrate the ZSS headquarters bombing."  
"It's fake."  
"And how are you so certain?"  
"One of Jack Savage's lab technicians accidentally detonated a device he wanted to dismantle."  
"Do you have proof of this claim?"  
"It's difficult to retain proof when the entire laboratory vaporizes. I need to leave."  
"I should arrest you right now."  
"Good luck."  
"Leora!" Bogo boomed. All eyes in the room went on him. "Keep our guest company."  
"Sir?" she questioned.  
"I won't have him running around without someone I trust keeping an eye out."  
"Fine by me," Kai muttered. "Felix, you're coming along. Grace, you too."  
"Wait, where's Judy?!" Nick demanded, getting in his way.  
"Poisoned, but she should theoretically live."  
"Take me to her."  
"It's a fucking party now, isn't it? Fine, you can come, too." He began to walk, and everyone save for Grace followed. Instead, she sat on the floor, leaning heavily against the furniture. "Grace, what's wrong?"  
She didn't respond.  
"Why is she here?" Kai demanded.  
"She stumbled in not too long ago, said she drove here and was tranquilized. We helped her—" Leora explained.  
"She's an idiot. I told her to go to the hospital if her condition began to worsen."  
"Why?"  
"She was shot. The fact that no one noticed that her shirt is soaked in blood and has a bullet hole is, quite frankly, unbelievable." He picked her up in his arms. "What of the fox she was with?"  
"She never mentioned a fox."  
"If she wakes up, I'm going to kill her. Where's the truck she was in?"  
"It's in the lot."  
"Lead the way."

They made haste through the precinct, ultimately ending up in the precinct's parking lot. The green army truck looked very out-of-place amidst the police cruisers and several civilian vehicles, which made it easy to spot. In the back, beneath the canvas, lay the white fox, nearly exactly as he was when he was first placed there. Kai placed the wolf next to him, before taking the driver's seat.  
"Who was the fox?" Leora asked.  
"Theoretically, Neal."  
"That doesn't look like him at all, though."  
"Well, hence the 'theoretically'. Hopefully, when we get there, I can wake him up, and we'll get this all figured out."  
"Where, exactly, is 'there'?" Nick asked, taking a seat in the cabin.  
"Judging by how bad Grace has gotten, I doubt any hospital would be able to treat her. Besides, you want to see your rabbit, so I figure I'll kill two birds with one stone and take you all to my humble abode."  
"If a hospital can't treat her, why do you think you can?"  
"Because I am better equipped than your hospitals."  
"Oh really? What's your endowment?"  
"Several trillion dollars."  
Everyone gave a nervous laugh.  
"And where did that money come from?" Felix inquired.  
"War is a lucrative business." He began to drive questionably fast through the city streets, navigating between the cars with immense precision.  
"So, where is your 'humble abode'?" Leora asked, once he had cleared a majority of the traffic.  
"You should know, we were there once."  
"I was half-blind and barely conscious, and you wandered off. How am I supposed to remember?"  
"I thought mammals were good with directions."  
"Why would you think that?"  
"Magnetoreception."  
"A compass is no good without a map. You should know this."  
"Wait, what do you mean by 'mammals'?" Felix suddenly piped up. "You can't tell direction innately?"  
"Not by the magnetic field."  
"How, then?"  
"I memorized a map of the world, and I have a good sense of my whereabouts. Landmarks help."  
"What else can you do?" Felix muttered, shocked.  
"I can roll my tongue," Kai joked; everyone rolled their eyes and fell silent.

Before long, he began to drive off the road, and several minutes later stopped the truck.  
"Here?" Nick asked with disbelief. "You live here?"  
"Well, maybe a mile and a half that way," Kai responded, pointing into the mountains.  
"You're shitting."  
Kai climbed out, before fetching Grace from the back.  
"Leora, I trust you can carry the fox."  
"I can walk," Nick stated, matter-of-factly.  
"We literally just mentioned him at the precinct," Leora muttered.  
"What, you forgot already and didn't see the other one in the back?" Felix spoke, chuckling.  
"This truck wasn't built for a fox to snoop around."  
"So you're short?" Felix goaded.  
Both cats burst out laughing, while Nick sulked. Everyone began following Kai as he traveled, seemingly without direction, through winding turns along the slopes. Eventually, he stopped, grabbing at a nearly invisible handle and opening a large, disguised vault door.  
"How can you possibly remember where this place is?" Felix inquired.  
"Like I said, I'm good with directions." They entered, and he closed the door behind them. He gave a small chuckle. "The irony is that men are usually terrible with them."  
"Gah, why is it so dark here?" Leora complained. "And dusty?"  
"This place is over two-thousand years old. Besides, if you think this is dark, the stairs are darker. I made sure to fix up a couple of lights in the basement though, so you wouldn't have to shamble in the dark."  
She went to the stairwell, and gazed down. She grabbed a pen from her pocket and dropped it down, listening for a noise.  
"How far does it go?"  
"Six miles."  
"Fuck that, isn't there an elevator?" Felix asked.  
"Right over there," Kai responded, motioning with his head. After waiting a lengthy amount of time, the carriage arrived. They all entered, and he set the wolf down with them, before hitting a button and stepping out.  
"Aren't you coming with us?" Leora asked.  
"I'll meet you at the bottom."  
"What, you want to race an elevator down that many stairs?"  
"I'll beat you, just wait."  
"Suit yourself."  
The doors closed, and they began to descend. By the time they reached the bottom, the doors opened to reveal that Kai had, in fact, made it before they did.  
"How did you…" Felix inquired with disbelief.  
"Let's go." He took the wolf in his arms once more, before leading the way.

They stepped into a large room lined with beds and various monitors. Seeing Judy, Nick immediately rushed past everyone to get to her bedside.  
"Carrots, please tell me you're alright! Don't let me lose you!" he begged, pulling her into a tight hug. Her eyes lazily drifted over to his face, and she smiled.  
"Not so hard! I'll live," she answered weakly, hugging him back. "I've been through worse. You have no idea how glad I am to see you."  
Nick sat on her bed, and they were in each others' arms for several minutes.  
"How touching," Kai mentioned, fishing for some medicaments through the various carts in the room.  
"Let us have this moment, that's all I'm asking," Nick asked, not turning away.  
"Why? She's alive. Mourn the dead, not the living."  
"I almost lost her! I don't even think you'll ever know what it would be like to lose someone like her," the fox responded coldly. "Someone important. Someone you trust with everything, someone you enjoy seeing after a long day... someone you love. You would never know."  
Kai stopped what he was doing, pausing momentarily. As his eyes darted from the cart, to his hands, and to the fox, he sought answers; a response, a touching memory of the past, anything that he could use, but found nothing that he was willing to speak of.  
"What did they do to you?" Nick finally asked, looking Judy in the eyes.  
"They poisoned me, but not really? I'm not sure, it's hard to explain. All that I know for certain is that the wolf standing there kidnapped me from the hospital, but I suppose that was a good thing."  
"That 'wolf' would be the ambassador."  
Judy laughed.  
"I think I'm going crazy, but maybe I'm just exhausted." She gave a glance, before returning to stare into Nick's eyes. "And you thought he was evil. I'm curious though, why does he look different? I assume that has to do with the odd emphasis you put on 'wolf'?"  
"Oh, right. I forgot you don't know."  
"Know what?"  
Nick turned to face Kai, and Judy followed suit. He was currently attaching several bags to an IV line for the wolf. When he finished, he glanced back at them."  
"Do you need something?" he inquired absentmindedly.  
"Do you want to explain, or should I?" Nick asked.  
"Judging by your conversation, I would assume you mean what I am. Long story short, I'm not really a wolf."  
"I had my suspicions," Judy voiced.  
"I'm glad to say that most of you worked that out on your own." He took the white fox from Leora and placed him on a third bed. "My disguises were fairly shoddy the first few weeks."  
"Disguises? You mean you can make yourself look that close to a wolf with a disguise?"  
"How else would I be doing it if I'm not really a wolf?"  
"I assumed you were close enough. Maybe a dhole, or a jackal; it's not that unreasonable, seeing just how different two rabbits from across the world can look. Maybe a trim here or there, some dye, and most canines can look like other canines."  
"No, it's all fake. Naturally, it's not perfect." He turned off the box, removed it, and gave it to the rabbit to inspect.  
"This box? That's it?"  
"Well, there are wires, too, but those aren't important."  
"And behind the mask?"  
He finished fishing through several carts before retrieving another venipuncture kit. After he inserted an IV line into the fox, he pulled off his mask and set it down on the bedside table. She could only stare in wonder.  
"Surprising, isn't it?"  
"Does everyone of your species have five fingers?"  
He held out his hand before her, wiggling the fingers.  
"Yes. Behold the pinky, and with it, fifty percent increased grip strength."  
She chuckled, manipulating his fingers, bending and unbending them. He momentarily pulled away, performing several more tasks for the white fox, before taking the disguise box and mask.  
"As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have work to do," Kai muttered, pulling away.  
"Like what?"  
"I have to pay a visit to the guys in charge of the city."  
"Lionheart's arrested, who are you talking about?" Nick asked.  
"Lionheart's arrested? What for?" Judy inquired.  
"Long story, I'm sure Nick will explain," Kai interjected. "I don't really have time to tell you everything, so instead, I'll ask that you trust what I'm doing. If any of you are hungry, I can take you to eat. Otherwise, I need to fetch someone and leave."  
"Sure, I could eat," Felix stated.  
"Oh, before I forget: hold out your arm, Felix."  
"Why?" The cat held out his arm. Kai grabbed a blood vial and took a sample. "Ow, what the hell?"  
"The court knows I love to masquerade as a wolf, so I suppose I have three hours to figure out how to look like something else."  
"And my blood will help you how?"  
"Just follow me. The details aren't too important."  
"Wait!" Nick shouted from behind. "How long until you come back?"  
"Why do you ask?"  
"What if those IV bags run out?"  
"Those aren't important, it's just to make sure her blood pressure didn't run too low when I fed her blood through the machine's piping. However, if she complains about pain, there are some low dose painkillers in the cart next to you."  
"I could go for some, to be entirely honest," Judy muttered, resting her head on the pillow.  
Nick tried the handle, but found that it wouldn't open.  
"Is it stuck?"  
Kai walked over and pulled it open.  
"No, just fingerprinted. I forgot, actually. I'm so used to pulling and having it open."  
"So only you can open it? Why did you bother letting me know about it if I can't even open it?"  
"Any human can open it. I assume you don't have the right biometrics." He fished out several supplies, setting them on top of the cart. "Painkillers are the pills. Given her size, one every six hours should do the trick. Water from the faucets. Cups in the drawers."  
"Thank you," Judy spoke quietly, smiling and giving a thumbs' up.  
"Oh, and Judy?" he added as an afterthought. She looked up. "I wish you a swift recovery."  
Kai exited the room.

Felix and Leora followed him to the dining hall.  
"Food's past the far end of the room, through that door. Throw any one you like into a machine lining the wall, and hit reheat."  
"What kind of food is there?"  
"Any kind you can imagine," Kai responded. Felix gently rolled his eyes, and began to walk away. "Oh, before I forget: you should probably stay away from anything labeled 'beef' or 'pork'."  
"Why's that?"  
"I'm not sure it would be ethical to feed you cow or pig."  
Felix gave a look of disgust, but after being assured that everything was fine, he went.  
When Kai continued through the complex, Leora kept following him.  
"Need something?" he inquired.  
"Call it curiosity," she replied.  
"You know what they say about curiosity."  
"No, what?"  
"It killed the cat."  
"Who says that?"  
"Never mind."

He entered the theater, and found Sirius in the fourth row, munching on a bowl of popcorn, sniffling audibly.  
"Where the hell did you get the popcorn?" Kai asked, bewildered.  
"I found it in the back of the food stores. Why did you lie to me?!" he demanded, turning to face them. His eyes were red, evidently from crying.  
"Senator… Cynewolf?" Leora muttered.  
"What's gotten into you?" Kai questioned.  
"I thought you would recommend a good movie! Instead I get to watch my ancestors die!"  
"Excuse me?"  
" _Where the Red Fern Grows_ , two canines get introduced, and then proceed to die horribly! Meanwhile, the humans get away no problems! And then, with _Farthing Woods_ , more death!"  
"Sirius, it's fiction."  
"It's still disturbing."  
"I couldn't have possibly imagined that you would take them that seriously. Listen, I need you to come with me."  
"Where?"  
"Court."  
"Are you stupid?! They'll know something's up!"  
"Jack had Mayor Lionheart arrested."  
"Why?"  
"Jack framed the explosion at ZSS Headquarters on him."  
Sirius chuckled.  
"Didn't I tell you he was a good scapegoat?"  
"This is serious. I fear the worst if Jack is allowed to run around for much longer."  
"Why's that?"  
"He has isolated plutonium-238, meaning he built a bomb."  
"So?"  
"Remember Mapleton?"  
"You're telling me that he managed to build one in a couple of weeks?"  
"That's exactly what I'm saying."  
"So what do you want me to do about it?"  
"You'll pretend that you took Jack's offer, and that I'm your new protege."  
"They already know what you look like."  
Kai waved the blood vial.  
"Not for long. Granted, it won't be perfect, but the assumption is that I'll be wearing a robe and a mask."  
"It won't work."  
"If it doesn't, I'll think of something."  
"Like what?"  
"Well, I have three hours before the meeting. In that time, I have to fix up a new disguise. Anything after that goes into a plan B."  
"Three hours? Can I eat?"  
"We still have to get there. Besides, you literally ate not two and a half hours ago."  
"A wolf can get hungry in less than that."  
"Jesus Christ, you really do think with your stomach. Fine, you know where the dining hall is."  
Sirius grinned, and lazily lumbered past them. Kai sighed, before proceeding to the armory.

"Anything I can do to help?" Leora inquired.  
"Not particularly, but I won't stop you from tagging along. I need someone else to make sure that my new disguise will be believable."  
She followed him to the large room, gasping upon seeing the arsenal within.  
"All these, are they real firearms?"  
"Yes, although most are in a state of disrepair."  
She walked around for a brief while, before stopping before a fabricator.  
"What's this?"  
"The second most expensive machine ever created."  
"What does it do?"  
"They can make anything."  
"Anything?"  
"Absolutely anything."  
"Can they print money?" she asked, shifty-eyed.  
"Where do you think I got all of my cash?"  
"You gave us counterfeits?! And here I thought I was set for life!"  
"Oh, the money I gave you at the docks is real, pilfered from the panda's estate. In any case, the forgeries are identical to the real thing. No one can tell them apart because, for all intents and purposes, they are made exactly the same."  
"Sure. How much do these machines cost?"  
"The six of them cost about two trillion dollars."  
"Holy…" she breathed.  
"Naturally, that means half of them are broken."  
"If that's the second most expensive, what's number one? Your disguise?"  
"No, these things are cheap. I reckon most anyone could afford a non-military grade one, seeing that they're only about fifty thousand. Military grade ones are about three times that."  
"The difference being?"  
"Military grade are more accurate, and can mimic heat signatures as well as visible light."  
"So how do you plan on making a new disguise?"  
"Simple. I open it up, and reprogram the chip with Felix's blood. Ideally, I won't have to modify anything else, but you never know."  
She watched as he pried open the back panel, pulled out a chip, and placed a small dab of blood on it. When he reassembled it and turned it on, she laughed.  
"Not even close. The proportions are silly, and your face is flat."  
"Figures." He pushed a few buttons and adjusted a few dials on the display, before trying again. "Now?"  
"Physically, it's fine, except you're green."  
Again, he changed a few settings.  
"Now?"  
"Your eyes are red."  
"I always hated trying to make this work for mammals. Shitty genetic sequencing algorithms and out-of-order chromosomes," he grumbled, complaining. "Now?"  
She inspected him for a while.  
"Legs are a little too long, and the snout's too short."  
"If I make it any longer, I won't be able to wear the Court mask without it clipping."  
"Well, other than that, it's fine. Say, why don't you resemble Felix?"  
"I don't?"  
"Nah, he looks different. Spots in other places, face a little longer, fur a little grayer."  
"It's not perfect," he responded, stowing the box on his belt. "In any case, I'll be wearing a robe, so the face is all that matters. I also need to be able to wear a mask atop it, so you'll have to forgive any slight deformities."  
"So why do you need to wear a mask?"  
"My last iteration couldn't let me. They'll expect me to be walking around without a disguise if I'm in robes. At least, if they're smart, they will."  
"So, what now?"  
"I could tinker up something new, or I could take a couple of guns. I'm leaning towards guns, personally."  
"Why? You won't kill anyone, will you?"  
"No guarantees." He began browsing the large selection of firearms, before settling upon a couple of easily concealable, silenced ones.  
"What do you hope will happen, wherever you go?"  
"Ideally, I find Jack and kill him. I'll take what I can get, though. Hopefully the Court's plan, but at least Jack's whereabouts, or the whereabouts of his bomb."  
She nodded in silent agreement for a while, before asking a question.  
"Can I tag along?" she inquired hopefully.  
"No. Look what happened to Grace."  
"You could give me a bulletproof vest."  
He removed his vest and held it out for her; she couldn't lift it out of his hands.  
"How much does this weigh?!"  
"Nearly six hundred pounds. I won't have you going in any less, so unless you can figure out how to lift, you're staying here."  
She tried unsuccessfully to slip into it, but when Kai began to put the bulk of the weight on her, she started to slowly fall lower and lower.  
"Oh come on! You're practically from the future and you don't have anything lighter?"  
"This can stop 30mm autocannon. Your vests can't do half that."  
She scowled.  
"What about the senator?"  
"What about him?"  
"You're letting him tag along?"  
"They won't shoot him."  
"You thought the same about the she-wolf."  
He paused for a moment, before sighing.  
"You got me there."  
"Why do you never let me tag along?"  
"I just got you back from the East, do you really think I want to lose you again?"  
She paused, and he took the opportunity to flee the room.  
"Hey, come back!" she shouted, chasing after him. Once she caught up with him, she tried to stop him. "What did you mean by that?"  
"Nick hit me where it hurts," he responded, before coming to the dining hall. Inside, Felix and Sirius were holding a lively discussion.

"I hate to interrupt," Kai spoke, walking up to them, "But we should get going."  
"What? I was just getting to the best part!" Sirius complained.  
"There's a bag of jerky in it if you come now. Felix, I trust you'll keep Leora company? Make sure she doesn't leave before I get back."  
Felix nodded, and Leora protested unsuccessfully. Sirius immediately stood without a second thought, following Kai to the exit.  
"What was that about?"  
"Better safe than sorry."  
The duo walked quietly for several turns.  
"So, the elevator?" Sirius inquired.  
"I'll take the stairs, thanks."  
"What's with you and stairs?"  
"If it gets stuck, I'll have to get you out. If we both get stuck, I'm afraid it's the end for us."  
"It won't get stuck, right?" Sirius voiced nervously.  
"Shouldn't." Kai started up the stairs. The wolf reluctantly entered the elevator. A while later, Kai came upon the already waiting Sirius.  
"Took you long enough," Sirius complained, shambling to the door. They exited into the night, with the wolf shielding his eyes from the moonlight. "Damn moon's bright tonight."  
"You aren't going to howl, are you?"  
"Oh come on, not every stereotype is true."  
"Awoo!" Kai mocked. Nearly immediately Sirius broke out into a howl. Upon seeing this, Kai let out a loud guffaw.  
"Wow, fuck you," Sirius eventually choked out. "Do you have any idea how harsh that is on my voice?"  
"Not harsh enough, you're still talking."  
"Rude. How are we getting to the lodge?"  
"It's not too far; we can take the truck."  
"Truck?"  
"I gave up the ambulance, and picked up a military truck."  
"Fancy."

They hiked down the mountain, coming upon said truck. They entered and drove towards the city, taking a turnoff through a forest.  
"So, wanna show me this new disguise?" Sirius inquired.  
"When we get there."  
"So what is it?"  
"Snow leopard, ideally."  
"I'm looking forward to this," Sirius stated. "You make fun of me all the time, I think it's time I did the same."  
Several winding roads eventually led them to the lodge. The duo exited, and Kai switched on his disguise. Sirius looked him up and down, before eventually shrugging.  
"Legs—"  
"Are long, I know. I can't help that I'm tall," Kai interrupted, starting up the hill.  
"So, what's the excuse?"  
"Tell the goat that Jack let you out. I'm your new protege. If Jack's there, I kill him and that's that."  
"And if he's not?"  
"We play it cool. I don't want them to tell Jack that I'm still alive."  
"And if they already know that I'm not supposed to be out of jail?"  
"We figure that out later."  
Sirius paused.  
"Can we figure that out now?"  
"I have a gun. Two, in fact."  
"I'm not sure a gun is going to stave off several hundred mammals."  
"Fear will. Besides, that's why I have two guns."  
"What, is the answer always 'more gun'?"  
"Usually, yes."

They came upon the double doors, and entered. The goat stared incredulously.  
"It's a dark night," the goat muttered.  
"I don't really have time, we're fairly late for the meeting, as is. Long story short, Altair set me free, and this is my new protege."  
"New protege?" The goat laughed. "I think you hold the record for most proteges ever, in the history of the Court."  
"I also hold the record for first human protege, and most human proteges, so bite me."  
"Whoa, who crapped in your cereal?"  
"Altair kind of stuck a knife in my eye and shot me several times, and the lack of depth perception is almost as irritating as the constant questioning."  
"Ow. Alright, you know where everything is."  
The duo passed through the next set of doors, before finding a couple of robes and suitable masks in the basement. Kai checked, and was relieved to find that he didn't need to turn his disguise off when wearing the mask. When they returned and entered the auditorium, they received several glances, which became stares, which in turn attracted further attention. By the time they took seats, everyone was staring at them.  
"Sirius," Rigel stated, taking center stage. "What are you doing here?"  
"Altair let me go."  
"He did mention he would try to sway you… In any case, who is that?"  
"New protege."  
"Already? For crying out loud, how many proteges can you possibly take before you get a good one?"  
"For the record, I think the last one was the best one, but Jack thought it was a good idea to roast him."  
"He had his reasons."  
"Right," Sirius replied dismissively. "Speaking of which, where is Jack?"  
"You mean you don't know?"  
"He had lackeys set me loose."  
"We haven't heard from him in a few hours, but he should be leaving from City Hall by now."  
"And what's with this 'Lionheart getting arrested' nonsense?"  
"We're moving forward with the plan."  
"Anyone care to enlighten me?"  
"Erm… I suppose you can know, if Altair let you be here. We finally figured out Uranium refining, so we built one of the human's weapons."  
"Dare I ask what you plan to do with it?"  
"If all goes well, Altair will take lead of Zootopia, and convince the rest of the world that we should annex them."  
"Why? We already have a good thing going here."  
"So why not let the rest of the world benefit? Our job is to let the public benefit."  
"Out job is to let _our_ public benefit. I don't really agree with where you're taking this."  
"Well, unfortunately, majority vote leaves you in the losing party."  
"Was it really a majority vote before Altair removed the opposition?"  
"You know that what he's doing is the right thing. At any rate, have your protege come forward."  
Sirius motioned to the stage, and Kai walked down to stand by the doe.  
"So—"  
"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," Kai interrupted, throwing his voice. "Sirius already told me the four agreements."  
"I…" She wavered, looking to the audience for guidance. Most of them shrugged, so she went along with it. "One last thing, take off your mask."  
"Why?"  
"I want to check something."  
He removed his mask, and she inspected his feline features.  
"Handsome, no?" Kai boasted.  
"I can't say. I don't know what 'handsome' constitutes for snow leopards."  
"What were you looking for?"  
"No, I just had the strangest suspicion, but it appears I was mistaken."  
Kai shrugged, and returned to his seat.  
"Unless anyone has anything to add, I suppose we can conclude the meeting," Rigel boomed.  
"I thought it just started," Sirius piped up.  
"Well, until Altair returns, we don't have much to say. Until we can get the new head of military inducted, we will have to keep him in the dark about testing."  
"Testing?"  
"To make sure the bomb works."  
"Where are you keeping it, if not the military base? I can't imagine you'd keep city-destroying weapons in the city."  
"That's on a need to know basis—"  
"And I don't need to know," Sirius finished. "Got it."  
"Anyone else?" Rigel inquired. No one spoke. "Adjourned."

Everyone began to slowly shuffle out, save for a few that wished to greet Sirius and his new protege. After dealing with the well-wishers, Sirius dragged Kai into the elevator. They descended to the store of artifacts, and to Sirius' relief, they found Achernar, his head peeking over from the tall shelves.  
"Ah, Sirius! How long it's been!"  
"What, only a couple of weeks?"  
"You know giraffes sleep ten minutes a day, the week just drags on without you. How have you been?" He glanced at Kai. "And who's this?"  
"New protege."  
"A cat? That's unexpected of you. It's a shame what Altair did to the last one. I was beginning to like the human."  
"Yeah, he was growing on me, too."  
"Just think about how much history was lost with his death," Achernar lamented, before turning to Kai. "But bygones must be bygones. Who, if I may ask, are you?"  
"Percival Godfrey," Kai replied.  
"Come, let me get a closer look." Achernar craned his neck between the shelf, and looked Kai up and down. Suddenly, he began to smile. "You really know how to pick them, Sirius!" he exclaimed with joy, quickly walking around the shelves to stand closer.  
"Meaning?"  
"You found another one, didn't you!"  
"Another what?"  
"Another human!"  
"You catch on quick," Kai muttered. "Almost too quick."  
"The last one was also this threatening!" Achernar exclaimed, rapidly nodding. "I must say, five fingers is a dead giveaway. You wouldn't believe the conversation we had the first time around!"  
"I'm sure I can."  
"Say, Achernar, can we trust you?" Sirius inquired.  
"Of course, why do you ask?"  
"Rather, do you subscribe to Altair's notions of a better world?"  
"Not really, but it was either stay here, or go to jail."  
"You wouldn't happen to know where he's keeping his bomb, would you?"  
"I suspect it's at one of the military bases along the coast, but I can't say for certain. Why would you need to know that?"  
"Because I'm not dead," Kai answered, switching off his disguise.  
Achernar practically jumped for joy upon seeing his face.  
"I knew it! I knew you wouldn't let yourself be killed by something like that!"  
"Quiet! We're trying to keep it a secret!" Sirius hissed.  
"Why, though? He could easily shut their schemes down if he just revealed himself."  
"Yes, but then they wouldn't stop hunting me," Kai answered. "The best hunter is the one that lies in wait for his prey to expose himself. Consequences be damned, I will strike once and end this; no more games."  
"Not how I would do it, but I suppose you're the master tactician."  
Kai switched the disguise back on.  
"I need you to keep this a secret," he spoke.  
"Of course!"  
"I may not be back for a while. However, it's troubling that you mention a military base. There are at least six in this half of the country, and Rigel specifically mentioned keeping the head of military out of their talks."  
"What's the plan, then?" Sirius asked.  
"Six bases would take a while to scout alone; perhaps I may need help, after all. Luckily, Arcturus promised that three of my former squad members would be under the current head of military's custody. With the two I already have, and potentially a third, that makes my whole team again. Granted, they aren't in top shape, but I'm sure it's well within their capabilities. As of now, with Grace incapacitated, it seems I don't have anyone trustworthy who is more capable. At any rate, if my records are correct, the new head of military should be at the closest base."  
"The Court does like to keep valuable assets nearby," Achernar affirmed.  
"So it's decided. Thank you, Achernar."  
The giraffe nodded approvingly.

Kai and Sirius took the elevator back up and left their uniforms, before ultimately exiting. As they came unto the snowy overlook, trees devoid of leaves, with lake barely frozen over, Kai took a deep breath.  
"Something the matter?" Sirius inquired.  
"The cold is rather refreshing. It's a nice change from climate control."  
"You've been out in the snow before, though."  
"Centuries in perfect weather makes you wish for something miserable, just because it's different. I'm not quite over it, yet."  
"Let's stop wasting time. You and I both know that the Court fears you. If you showed your face, they would have immediately stopped their plans."  
"But then we would never find Jack. He would hide and send others to do his dirty work until he gets what he wants."  
"You only justify it that way, but come to think of it, I agree with Achernar on this one. Not half an hour ago, you didn't want anyone to come along. Now, you're already insisting on taking buddies instead of doing this alone. You know that they'll only slow you down, and the fact that you're procrastinating in getting them is mind boggling. Need I remind you that Jack literally has a bomb that can destroy cities, and he wants to use it to take over the world?"  
"They won't slow me down. Quite the opposite; six can cover at least twice the area that I can in the same time. I'll just have to be careful in how they go about it." He took another deep breath. "I believe a team reunion is long overdue."

* * *

 **A/N: Big thanks to Jackofallfables for helping me out by giving a preliminary read through. I'd be sunk without him. Speaking of which, I did my best to proofread, but if you guys notice anything, let me know.**

 **Chapter title is a reference to Kai's secrecy from the Court, and the Court's secrecy in their plans.**

 **As per the guest review inquiring about the dialysis machine, I've added a mention of spleen and lymph system, as those are designed to fight infection and remove toxins. Sorry about any confusion I may have caused.**

 **List of things that I need to do:  
1\. Character reference sheet. I have around a hundred characters.  
2\. Timeline.**

 **I'm destroying myself with class load, but I couldn't help not write another chapter. Now that I've taken my exams and finally figured out my projects, I can ideally ease up just a tiny bit. Next project was assigned today, however, so there's no escape. I don't really have much else to put here, so enjoy this gag non-canon 4th wall break involving Sirius and his movies:**

"Who cares? I had to stop and find something more cheerful." Sirius protested.  
"Like what?" Kai inquired.  
"Well, I tried to find something fun and animated, so I sorted by reverse alphabetical order—"  
Kai took a look at the screen.  
"Childrens' movies? Seriously? And why reverse alphabetical order?"  
"Go ahead, laugh it up. So several of the movies were inaccessible, and some of the titles were garbled."  
"Well, it so happens that the archives are almost as old as I am. Memory corruption is inevitable."  
"Yeah, but I'm curious: there was _Treasure Planet_ , _Wr_ -something, and _Zoo_ -something."  
"I don't understand your question."  
"I mean, I couldn't get any of them to work, but… whatever the _Zoo_ title was, would you be able to access it?"  
"Sirius, most of those movies are several hundred years older than I am. If it's not there, I can't help you."  
"But what if it's literally... Hell, I don't know, the rabbit's biography, and I just can't see it?!"  
"I highly doubt that. Just pick something else."  
"Oh, come on! How am I supposed to start in reverse alphabetical order, then?"  
"It's not really my problem, to be honest. Why not just pick the next one that works?"  
Sirius grumbled audibly, scrolling down the list trying to find one that would play.

* * *

Fun Fact #43: The most lethal sniper in history was Simo Häyhä of the Finnish Army. Utilizing a submachine gun and a bolt-action scope-less Mosin rifle, he managed to rack up a confirmed kill count of 505 in less than a hundred days during the Finnish-Soviet winter war of 1939-40. He was shot in the face with an exploding bullet, which only rendered him unconscious for seven days until peace was declared. He lived to 96 years old.

Bonus: Statistically speaking, the first person to live to 150 has already been born.


	46. Chapter XXXX: Preparations

**Several Hours Later  
25 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
6 Miles Deep**

Kai and Sirius returned to the bunker, taking care so as not to attract undue attention while in the city. When they entered the dining hall, they found Nick and Felix idly conversing.  
"Didn't expect you all to be up this late," Kai commented.  
Felix chuckled.  
"We got hungry," he stated.  
"The food is supposed to be extremely filling."  
"Well, not everyone here is Mr. Metabolism, so excuse us."  
"Fine. Where's Leora?"  
"Getting the food."  
Kai raised a brow.  
"Why her? Are you too lazy to do it yourself?"  
"She volunteered," Nick interjected. "Said she wanted to see what kind of exotic food she could scavenge for herself."  
"Alright. Sirius, if you're hungry, get something. I need to plan."  
"Plan what?" Leora shouted from across the large dining hall. In her arms she held two trays, and on her tail she balanced a third.  
"How…" Kai began, brow raised. "How are you doing that?"  
"Doing what?"  
"With your tail. I was under the impression that only primates had prehensile tails."  
"Prehensile? No." She threw the three trays up into the air, catching the one from her tail in her left arm, the one from her left arm in the right, and rotating the one from her right arm onto her tail. "Skilled? Yes." Felix and Nick gave a small round of applause.  
Sirius began laughing.  
"Bet you wish you had one of these, eh, Procyon?" he spoke loudly, waving his tail around.  
"Not really."  
"Why not?"  
Kai grabbed the wolf's tail.  
"This is why."  
The two stared at each other for a while, before Sirius tried pulling away unsuccessfully.  
"You appear to… um… can you let go?"  
"Break free."  
Sirius tried, again, unsuccessfully.  
"No really, please let go."  
"Bet you wish you didn't have a tail right about now," Kai mocked. Felix and Leora chuckled.  
"Come on!" Sirius muttered, attempting everything in his power to break from the man's hold.  
"It's not all fun and games. It's more often a liability than not."  
"Well, if you have martial arts that incorporate the usage of a tail," Felix began, "You can do pretty well."  
"Doubt it."  
"Oh really?" Felix stood. "Wanna try me?"  
"Felix, he'll destroy you!" Leora burst out, guffawing.  
"No, please. By all means," Kai spoke plainly, releasing Sirius and taking up a stance.  
"What say we? Winner gets a kiss from the charming leopardess over there?" Felix proclaimed.  
"Bet your own body, you dirty letch!" Leora shouted.  
"Fine, fine. How about this: winner subjects the loser to abject humiliation.""  
"If you wanted to parade around naked, you don't need to fight me."  
"Implying?"  
"You don't stand a chance, buddy."  
Felix charged on all fours, before flying into a flurry of kicks; each was parried before Kai threw him overhead. When he landed, he reeled around for a kick; he stuck Kai dead in the chest, but quickly fell to the floor, clutching his injured hind paw.  
"You're wearing armor, you dirty cheat!" he shouted.  
"Really? I'd say it's slowing me down. However, if you insist…" Kai removed the heavy plates, as well as all other articles of padding, and brought his stance back up.  
"That's not everything!"  
"Of course it is."  
"What are you wearing on your legs, then?"  
"My… boots?" Kai answered, looking down to see what the snow leopard could have meant.  
"I don't care what you call them, but I know you're going to try to kick me with them."  
"I kind of need these to walk."  
"We seem to be doing fine without them."  
"Really grasping at straws, eh Felix?" Leora hollered.  
"If he wants to grasp at straws, so be it," Kai stated, unlacing and removing his combat boots. "The floor is freezing. I don't know how you can stand on it."  
"It helps not to be hairless," Felix spoke boisterously.  
"I'd wager it's less of that, and more of you being digitigrade."  
"Stop stalling. Come on!" Felix gestured tauntingly.  
"I believe the last time you taunted me, I broke your ribs."  
"Won't happen again."  
In the blink of an eye, Kai struck the cat square in the face, sending him tumbling head over heels along the floor. Felix cried out in pain, before coming to a rest on his back, covering his face with his paws.  
"I'd say that qualifies as victory," Nick commented, taking a tray of food.  
"I concur. I'll be back shortly," Kai affirmed, donning his boots, and hauling his armor away. Once he was gone, Leora walked up to the downed snow leopard.  
"For lack of a better term, I'd say he dumpstered you," she cooed.  
"Oh, shut up."  
"Come on." Leora helped him to stand, carrying him to the table.

Felix scowled for a lengthy period of time, glaring daggers at anyone who attempted to start a conversation. Soon after, Kai returned, now wearing a loose-fitting and olive drab outfit, and dark, unadorned house shoes. In his hands he carried what appeared to be a length of rope with a loop at one end.  
"What's with the uniform?" Sirius inquired.  
"I don't know, what's with it?"  
"You look dressed."  
"This is just the standard uniform."  
"Standard in what manner?"  
"This bunker was designed for ten thousand. The clothing stocked just happens to look like this."  
"Don't you have better things to wear? It looks so… depressing."  
"I've been wearing these outfits for several thousand years. If they come in wool and cotton, why would I wear anything else?"  
"Wait, did you just say wool?" Nick inquired.  
"Back in the day we made clothing out of it. Is it really that surprising?"  
"I mean… nowadays you can't just take someone's fur and turn it into a shirt. It's unheard of."  
"You've clearly never tried a fox-fur scarf."  
"Why would you have that?" Nick asked, full of disbelief.  
"It's extremely warm. I should bring it in for you to try on."  
"Why can't you just stick to better fabrics?"  
"Well, what do you wear, then?"  
"Cotton, poly, nylon, silk… Rayon, too, I suppose," Leora filled in.  
"The fur on our back," Felix suplemented.  
"Enough wasting time." He threw the item in his hands to Felix. "Put that on."  
Felix inspected it. It appeared to be a collar with a long leash.  
"You can't be serious."  
"No, Sirius is over there."  
Sirius scowled and folded his legs, but otherwise remained silent. After much eye rolling, Felix eventually looped the collar around his neck.  
"Now what?" he muttered.  
"Take everything else off."  
He appeared puzzled, until he realized exactly what was being asked. As the realization dawned upon him, the others' mouths went wide with laughter.  
"No, come on. You don't actually mean—"  
Kai began to walk off to the food stores.  
"When I get back, I expect the collar to be the only thing on you."  
Felix stared as the man walked off, until he went out of sight. Eventually, his gaze turned to Leora, who bore a smug grin.  
"Great. I never thought I'd have to choose between my dignity and my honor."  
"Well, you got yourself into this mess," she commented.  
"You all had better turn away," he hissed, as he walked several paces away and began to strip. He stood in silence, clothing in paw, hoping for the best and yet fully expecting the worst.  
"Nice ass," Leora jeered.  
"Want me to come over there and beat you?"  
"As if you could."

Eventually, Kai returned, several bags in arms.  
"What now?" Felix asked coldly. Kai set the bags on the table, and walked over, grabbing the leash.  
"Come." He dragged the leash over to a separate table, and tied it to the table leg.  
"This could _not_ get any worse," Felix muttered.  
"Sit."  
Felix sat on the bench.  
"No, on the floor."  
After a bit of delay, Felix rolled his eyes and sat on the floor.  
"Roll over," Kai commanded.  
"With this noose around my neck?"  
"No talking. Roll over."  
Felix attempted a forward roll, but the collar snagged and he fell flat. Leora laughed.  
"You're doing it wrong. Sirius, show him how it's done."  
"I… in front of them?"  
Kai pulled a piece of jerky from one of the bags and waved it in the air.  
"Fine, fine." Sirius walked several paces away, well inside Felix's vision, and sat close to the ground. There, he rolled sideways once, before looking expectantly at Kai. The man gave a small golf clap, before tossing a piece of jerky, which Sirius caught mid-air.  
"I don't know what's scarier," Nick spoke. "The fact that you have the wolf acting like a circus carny, or the fact that you expect Felix to follow suit."  
"All mammals were like this in my youth. Well… not performing tricks, but mentally and morally pliable," Kai responded. "Felix, roll."  
The cat rolled properly. Kai threw a piece of jerky which landed on the floor.  
"You want me to eat off of the floor?" Felix inquired.  
"They're rather good, I'd eat them off the floor," Sirius spoke, chewing the previous morsel.  
"Shut up, you'd eat anything off the floor."

After several more tricks, and much more laughter, their festivities were interrupted rather rudely by a voice from the hall. A quick look revealed that it was Grace, clothing still bloodied, hauling her IV rack.  
"Why are you wasting time?" she demanded. "We know that Jack has a bomb, and instead of finding it, or him, you're down here doing fuck all!"  
"You shouldn't be up," Kai responded simply.  
"Oh what, don't want anyone to crash the party?"  
"You were shot with a heavy metal. In fact, I instructed you to take the fox to the hospital, and what did you do?"  
"I didn't make it."  
"Evidently not. You disobeyed me."  
She opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it.  
"You are lucky to be alive. The only thing keeping you that way is that IV. Go lie down; you're useless to me dead."  
"You're dodging the question."  
"You didn't ask a question."  
"Why are you here, instead of out there?!" she yelled.  
"I have an appointment with the head of military tomorrow. There's no sense in doing anything until then. I don't want more enemies by invading government property."  
"What'll seeing this general do for you?"  
"We suspect Jack's weapon to be at one of six military bases. All I have to do is ask for shipping manifests—"  
"Why not go look for it? Do you honestly think he'll just hand them away?"  
"Yes, I do think that." He turned to face the rest of the group. "Sirius, see to it that she returns to the infirmary."  
"Why me?" Sirius complained.  
"Yeah, why him?" Grace protested.  
"Because if he doesn't, I'll see to it that you go back as painfully as possible."  
She grumbled as Sirius walked to the door.  
"I dislike you already," she spoke.  
"I bet you do."  
Once she was gone, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  
"And I thought she was a bitch before," Nick muttered.  
"Literally or figuratively?" Kai asked.  
"I'd say both," Leora responded, chuckling, before turning back to Felix. "Say, make him roll over again."  
"No," Felix spat out. "I've had enough of this humiliation!"  
"Don't bet what you don't want to lose."  
"How was I supposed to know it would be this bad!"  
"Like I said, don't bet what you can't lose."  
"Oh yeah? How about you get stripped and humiliated in front of a crowd, and then we'll talk!"  
Leora stared in shock, mouth slightly agape, lips quivering. Nearly immediately Felix's expression changed to one of regret as he covered his muzzle.  
"No, I didn't mean it like that!" he insisted, trying to stand, but getting snagged by the collar.  
She stood and exited, not looking back.  
"Smooth," Nick commented. Felix only lied down, curling up on the floor.  
"I should find her before she gets lost," Kai said, sighing very softly. He stood, untied Felix from the table, threw his clothing to him, and left.

"Leora!" he shouted, as he walked from room to room to find out where she had gone. "Where are you?"  
Seeing that his tactic wasn't working, he fell silent and began to listen. Very far down the hallway, he heard a faint sobbing. He traveled there, and found that the source of the noise was the armory; when he walked in, it took him several moments more to find her; she sat on the floor between two racks of rifles.  
"Leora, what's wrong?" he asked, kneeling next to her.  
She produced a faint smile, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.  
"If I told you, it would sound stupid."  
"It was what Felix said, wasn't it?"  
She barely nodded.  
"When he said crowd, I just…" She shook her head.  
"He didn't mean it, I'm sure."  
"Of course not, he's too stupid to think of something that wounding on purpose."  
"This was all my fault. I should have known when to stop. I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "Although, if I may ask, why 'crowd'?"  
"I… I thought you knew?" she responded, a look of confused sadness spreading.  
"Evidently not. I was under the impression that it was just the lion and his two cohorts."  
"I mean... you know what they say, three's company, but if you knew why didn't you do anything about them?!"  
"The thing is: you were gravely injured, but you wanted revenge on him. I took you to fulfill it, and you insisted on going to the Court. From there... everything sort of fell apart."  
She gave a sad hum.  
"I don't blame you."  
"How about this," Kai spoke. "They were most likely military personnel that served under him. When I pay a visit to the general, I'll ask that he bring them to me."  
"It's not going to be worth the effort. If they're not absolutely drop-dead stupid, they'll be long gone."  
"Well, only drop-dead stupid animals would even attempt to assault you."  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but even if they're still there, just the description 'wolf and tiger' won't get you far."  
"I'm sure I'll figure it out."  
"Alright. You can give it a try, but I highly doubt they'll be there."  
"Thanks for your permission, not that I needed it." He looked around the room before changing the subject. "You know, I'm curious. Why the armory of all rooms?"  
"With this many guns around, how can I not feel safe?"  
Kai gave a friendly laugh.  
"What, you prefer defunct weaponry to me?"  
"I dunno, you're kinda scary."  
"If you want, I can leave."  
"No, it's okay. Please don't."  
"Very well. How about this: get washed up, get some rest, and I'll take you and Felix for a pleasant surprise tomorrow."  
"What kind of surprise? Are you finally gonna let me go out? Stop holding me hostage?" she crooned.  
"You are here of your own free will. If you want to leave, I'm not stopping you."  
"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard. A few hours ago, you refused to let me out."  
"I suppose I may have been a little… contradictory. It wasn't without reason."  
"And this reason was?"  
"Having been a bodyguard for the latter portion of my youth, I get overzealous in keeping my wards safe."  
"So you offer me the illusion of choice to keep me safe?"  
"Nothing is so powerful as the illusion of choice," he answered with a toothy grin.  
"Fine. I'll bite. What is this surprise?" Leora inquired.  
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."  
"Oh, come on. At least a hint?"  
"It's a reunion of sorts."  
"With Rufus and the others?"  
"As usual, you're too smart to be left in the dark."  
"And you want me to go looking like this?" She motioned to herself.  
"No, I intend for you to put on a proper uniform."  
"And where can I procure such a uniform?"  
"You'll pick one out, if you want to get up."  
"And if I don't?"  
He hoisted her up into a fireman's carry.  
"You just love doing that, don't you?" she muttered, with an air of satisfaction.  
"You're too lazy to walk, is that it?"  
"Something like that." She dangled limply while he walked through the halls, before bringing up a concern of hers. "Does Felix get a uniform?"  
"I'll give him something that matches with your choice."  
"Ooh, don't you just make me feel special."

After some walking, he set her down in front of a large computer screen.  
"Every conceivable dress outfit is on those discs. Find one you like."  
She flipped through several before pausing.  
"Wait, what will you wear? We have to match if we're supposed to be your 'guard' or whatever."  
"I'll find something."  
"Blue? White?"  
"Whatever your heart desires."  
"What a responsibility." She continued to scroll, before stopping on a white uniform with embroidered epaulets.  
"What's this one?" she inquired.  
"American Naval Dress. Formal occasions," Kai supplemented.  
"The shoulders look nice, but impractical. Wouldn't they limit the range of motion?"  
"Hence, for formal occasions only."  
Leora scrolled several more times, before pausing again.  
"And this one?"  
"Mongolian Honor Guard."  
"The red and blue clashed, but the tabard looks pretty good. The helmets look ancient, though."  
"They haven't changed in nearly five hundred years."  
After going through several more, she burst out laughing.  
"What's with the ridiculous colors on this thing?"  
"That is the Pontifical Swiss Guard's uniform. I have no idea why it's so colorful."  
"Impractical, too. It looks really loose-fitting. Easy to snag. What's with the spear?"  
"It's a halberd; purely decorative."  
"Decorative doesn't do a guard well."  
"Well, they don't do much on a daily basis."  
"Say, what's the most prestigious uniform?"  
"Military or civilian?"  
"Let's try civilian first."  
Kai typed away at the computer, before pulling up a black uniform with a long coat, lavishly embellished.  
"Fancy. Although, it could use a brighter color scheme. The overcoat looks really warm."  
"I can tell you personally that it is."  
"Speaking of which, I've been wondering: what do humans look like in uniform?"  
He typed away, showing both ancient and modern military photographs. She flipped through them, giving out several 'oohs' and 'ahhs'.  
"Who's that?" she inquired, pointing to a figure in a black and white photograph.  
"That would be Georgy Zhukov, considered to be the greatest Soviet general. In truth, he was one of the only Soviet generals, but he was instrumental in every major battle during the Great Patriotic War."  
"He's so decorated!"  
Kai smiled.  
"Indeed he is," he commented.  
She perused hundreds more, coming to a very clear photograph of four uniformed men.  
"Who's that undecorated one, with the shit-eating grin?"  
"That would be Vitya the Wise."  
"What a pompous title, for such few medals."  
"He was a far greater man than I. He opted not to wear medals. He insisted that they made him conceited."  
She gave him a puzzled expression.  
"Perhaps I was mistaken, then. Who's that next to him?"  
"Andrei the Lionhearted."  
"Is this a theme here? Why do you give one name and a title?"  
"It was an inside joke."  
"So what, they were generals?"  
"Something of that nature. In actuality, most of them were captains at the time."  
"Most?"  
"Well, I told you about Vitya and Andrei. The next one is Taemur the Exalted."  
"And the last one?"  
"Garrett the Vicious."  
"Why Vicious? Everyone else was heroic."  
"The joke was that he racked up a larger death toll than the rest of them put together. The four of them thought it was funny at the time."  
She gave a satisfactory 'hmm'.  
"So this Taemur, was he the leader?" she asked.  
"No. Garrett was. When was this picture taken? Twenty-two oh-three?"  
"Two-thousand, two-hundred and six," she corrected, squinting at the fine print.  
"Well, he would have been major general then. It's hard to tell, since they're not wearing rank insignia."  
She looked at the figure, before turning to Kai.  
"You know, you two kinda look similar. Was he your dad or something?"  
"I never knew my father."  
"Wait. That's you, isn't it?"  
"Indeed it is."  
She slugged him on the shoulder.  
"Why didn't you just say so!" she complained.  
"I thought you could use the mental exercise."  
Leora rolled her eyes, sitting back in the chair.  
"Goodness, your hair looks different," she observed. "And what's with the gash across your eyes, ear to ear?"  
"I've grown old, and the scar was from a knife fight in an assassination attempt."  
"But it's gone."  
"So are the scars you inflicted when you raked my face."  
"I… I'm sorry about that, by the way."  
"No lasting harm done."  
She stared at the photograph a little while longer.  
"Wait," she spoke suddenly, completely changing her tone. "Your name is Garrett?"  
"Yes."  
"What about 'Kai'?"  
"A title; a formality, rather. Emperors are often called 'Your Royal Highness', or 'Emperor'. Same thing."  
"Alright, simple enough, but Garrett?"  
"Is there something wrong with it?"  
"It's a silly name."  
"At least it isn't a pun."  
"Implying?"  
"Take, for instance, Sirius. Ian Cynewulf. Son-of-wolf."  
"So?"  
"The rabbit, Judy Hopps. Rabbits hop."  
"Alright, that's two."  
"I'll excuse the arctic mammals in our squad. After all, Scandinavian names were hardly original. However, Prance Insa. Prance. See the connection?"  
"I'm sure humans also had plenty of puns in their names!"  
"Well, I suppose Smith came from the profession. Baker, too. Quite a few profession names, actually. Come to think of it, lots of names involving the pattern of son-of…" Kai mused.  
She scoffed, before moving closer to the picture to inspect the detail.  
"Let's call it a stalemate. What I want to know is how you got so decorated."  
"By being vicious."  
She raised a brow.  
"Really?" she asked, sarcastically.  
"I've participated in a handful of wars. I've commanded most battles therein. It's easy to get medals for winning even one battle, let alone hundreds."  
"So if this picture was from when you were young, how many medals did you rack up by the end of your career?"  
"Come." He went for the door, and she followed him through the hall, into a large room. They stood before a glass case, containing a fairly torn and re-stitched silk uniform: a deep and brilliant blue with a gold trim, a tailcoat, and dress pants.  
"Wait, I recognize this: this was the suit you wore when you came to the police station! Your 'ambassadorial' uniform!"  
"Precisely."  
"You mean to tell me it was your military dress?"  
"One and the same.""  
"Formal only, I hope."  
"It was, why do you ask?"  
"It doesn't look very comfortable."  
"It is. Tailored suits often are."  
"Is the sword functional?"  
"I wouldn't wear it if it wasn't."  
She gave a nod of approval.  
"Where are the medals?" she asked.  
He directed her attention to the two adjacent cases. Both contained several sashes, each lined with adornments and decorations; had it not been for the last sash containing a small empty space, she would not have discerned the color.  
"How do you wear all of that?"  
"You don't. I wore a plain white sash with one medal; the rest were locked away. It took me that long to realize Vitya's philosophy."  
"What was the medal for?"  
"It wasn't for any one feat. It was a symbol of rank." He opened a shelf below the case and pulled the sash out; it was dull white, coated in dust, and the once pristine medal was now tarnished. He wiped the dust from the medal, and read. "High Kaiser, Supreme Commander of the Military, yada yada. I don't want to go on, it's just depressing now." He blew the dust off of the sash and replaced it. "However, I digress. You still need a uniform."  
"Does it have to be one from the computer?"  
"I suppose not."  
"Get me something blue. Long coat, with white trim and a white sash. A ceremonial sword, too."  
"My, how extravagant," Kai stated, broad smile forming on his face.  
"I want it practical and comfortable. Nothing that can snag if I have to make a break for it."  
"Aren't you just an expert on these things."  
"I'm still a kitten on the inside, dreaming of a fantastical world; no amount of grim reality could ever knock that out of me. You know, I actually considered being a seamstress and fashion designer when I was younger."  
"Why?"  
"As you can tell, I love clothing design."  
"Why then the sudden change in profession? A cop is nothing like a tailor."  
"Remember, I was a soldier before I was a cop, and... Well... I didn't really want a military career, but when my parents stopped making income, I had to find something to do. I got a scholarship to the academy, and I guess my life took off in a different direction."  
"I see. In any case, I'll ensure that your uniform will be ready by morning. About the sword: do you want a saber? A scimitar? Perhaps a rapier?"  
"Whatever you decide looks the best. Surprise me."  
"Very well, but I should warn you that I'm no fashionista. I believe it's high time you went to sleep."  
"Speaking of which, you never showed us the quarters."  
"Ah, how silly of me. Come."

He led her back to the dining hall, where he found Nick resting his head on the table, and Felix curled up on the floor.  
"Get up. I need to show you your rooms," Kai announced.  
"Really?" Nick muttered sarcastically. "I thought we would just sit here all night."  
"You can, if you want."  
"Nah, I wanna be with Carrots."  
"Why are you here, then? You know where she is."  
"I have to make sure this oaf doesn't do anything stupid."  
"Fine. Take your leave, I'll watch him. You can have the bed next to her."  
"We're small. We can share."  
"Inadvisable, but I won't stop you." Kai walked up to Felix and nudged him with his foot. "Come on, get up."  
"We were friends and I ruined it," he stated, refusing to open his eyes.  
"We still are," Leora stated. Felix immediately shot up to look at her.  
"I… I'm so sorry," he pleaded, groveling before her.  
"Just stand up already," she spoke, helping him up before embracing him.  
"I didn't mean it."  
"Of course you didn't, you're too dumb to intentionally hurt me like that."  
He snickered.  
"We don't have all day, unless you don't want to sleep," Kai reminded them. "You need to be up early tomorrow."  
"Why?" Felix asked.  
"He's taking us with him," Leora explained.  
"Do we have to?"  
"Prance, Bjorn, and Rufus will be there."  
"Alright, fine."  
"You could sound a little more enthusiastic."  
"I'll try."

Kai led them down one of the hallways, before opening the door to a rather sizable room.  
"I'll have uniforms for each of you by morning," said Kai, holding the door open.  
"Uniforms?" Felix asked.  
"I'm masquerading as an ambassador again. You two shall be my royal sentinels."  
"Fancy. Try not to wake us too early."  
Before Kai could respond, Felix had already entered and closed the door.  
"He's intolerable, but lovingly so," Leora commented.  
"I've noticed." He took several more steps, opening a door further down. "Your room."  
"Do you have anything… closer?"  
"Closer how?"  
"I don't like being so far from everyone else."  
"You have Felix."  
They stared at each other for a while, as Leora gave an expression of annoyance. Simultaneously, they both started laughing.  
"Fine," Kai continued. "You can have my room."  
"Well, that was sudden," she responded, lips curling into a half-smile.  
"Don't worry, I won't bother you. You can sleep in peace."  
"Where will you sleep, then?"  
"I won't. I have a lot to do before tomorrow."  
"You won't leave, will you?"  
"Probably not." He led her back into the main area, before turning into a branching hallway. "Just keep going, it'll be the only room. Try not to claw up anything important."  
"What, you think I don't know how to retract my claws?"  
"You raked my face, remember?"  
"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"  
"Not anytime soon."  
She rolled her eyes, and turned to run, but quickly stopped.  
"Oh shit!" she muttered. "I almost forgot, you wouldn't happen to have any galantamine, would you?"  
"Why would you need treatment for organophosphate poisoning?"  
"What? No, it's a dementia medication."  
"And… why would you need it?"  
"I don't want to lose my mind like my parents. I just took my last pill on the plane ride here, and I meant to refill it, but I kinda got busy."  
He paused to think of how to respond.  
"Leora… what I have to say isn't going to be easy to hear."  
"Why not?"  
"Your parents never got dementia."  
"How can you say that? I've seen it, lived through it! You yourself went to meet with them."  
"It's not dementia."  
Her eyes slowly widened, as an expression of shock spread on her face.  
"Then what?!" she demanded.  
"They were drugged and made ill until they lost their minds."  
"Why?!" she spoke, louder than before, tears welling in her eyes.  
"To silence them. Those tales of Japan, and of emperors and menageries… They were true. The Court didn't like the stories being spread, so they had your parents removed from the equation."  
"You mean… this entire time…" She fell to her knees and began to sob. "I lost my parents not because medicine wasn't good enough to cure them, but because someone didn't like what they had to say?"  
"I'm sorry."  
She curled around his legs, tears wetting his pants as she wiped her eyes on them.  
"Who is responsible?" she asked quietly.  
"One of them, the elder Dr. Karahan, is dead. I saw to it myself."  
"And the others?"  
"Just one more. Jack Savage."  
"You mean that—fucking rabbit?!" she roared, pounding a fist on the floor.  
"The one and same. He pulls at a lot of strings."  
She seethed with silent rage for several moments.  
"I'm going to help you prepare."  
"You need sleep. Besides, I doubt you'll be able to help much."  
"Give me another one of those shots. I'm sure you still have them: the ones that made it so we didn't need to sleep?"  
"It's not a substitute for sleep."  
"Neither is coffee, but I've pulled all-nighters before."  
"Leora, you can't help me. Just take it easy. No amount of help will make me finish faster, and I will finish everything before morning."  
She turned her head away.  
"Fine, but don't think for a second that I'll enjoy this."  
"Wash up, get to bed. I promise I'll wake you before we need to go—"  
"Hmph," she muttered, dejected.  
"Shiny new uniform in hand."  
"It'd better be real fucking shiny."  
Kai chuckled.  
"Good night," he spoke softly, lifting her up and gently patting her on the head, ruffling her fur.

Once he was sure that she had actually went where he intended, he returned to the medical bay. He opened the door to find Nick and Judy cuddled together in one bed, the white fox a couple beds down, and Grace a few beds more. Next to Grace, Sirius had pulled up a chair and was resting his head in folded arms on her sheets. Kai approached and carefully shook him awake.  
"Sirius, what are you doing?"  
"Oh, I'm… keeping an eye on her." Sirius yawned.  
"Why?"  
"She asked me to."  
"Why are you sitting by the bed, why not lie down one bed over? You'll kill your back if you keep leaning like that."  
"Nah, it's more impressive if I'm right by her bedside."  
"Jesus, Sirius, don't tell me you're trying to impress her?"  
"Maybe. Is that so wrong?"  
"Great," Kai muttered. "Just what I needed: a love smitten cannibal senator."  
"Hey, you said yourself that it wasn't cannibalism!"  
"Why, though? What do you see in her?"  
"Well, when I brought her back, she started complaining about you, and then we talked a little. Oh, did we talk." He leaned on one paw and stared into the distance.  
"Don't invest too much time in her until she stabilizes. It'll spare you the sorrow of losing her after so short a time."  
"As if you know about love," Sirius scoffed.  
"Do you?"  
"At least I have a realistic chance at it."  
"Low blow."  
"Whatever. Why'd you come? Certainly not to lambaste me?"  
"No, I came to change her IV bags." He stood and went to rummage through the supplies.  
"What're you giving her, for future reference?"  
"Why, don't expect me to come back?"  
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, as they say."  
"Chelating agents." He took several bags and replaced the existing ones. "Stored in that cart over there."  
"How long does she have to be on these?"  
"For the foreseeable future. At least until she doesn't set off a Geiger counter, but it will probably be longer than that."  
Sirius appeared sad.  
"Don't fret, I'm sure you'll get her someday." Kai furrowed his brow and immediately turned his head.  
"What's wrong?" Sirius inquired.  
"Labored breathing." He began to walk through the dimly lit area until he came to the white fox's bed; Sirius followed him there, and loomed over the medical cot.  
"He's awake?"  
"Don't smother him, give him room." Kai gently pulled Sirius back, and stepped forward. The fox still had his eyes closed, his ears drooped, and hadn't moved from his initial position. "Can you tell us your name?"  
No response.  
"Can you speak?"  
Still nothing.  
"Can you move?"  
The fox didn't move.  
"Can you blink? Move your eyes?"  
For all of his efforts, he probably would have had more success talking to a brick wall.  
"Can you even hear me?" he asked, more in annoyance than to actually warrant a response. He took the fox's paw in his hand and squeezed at a joint. The breathing became more pained, but the fox made no actual attempt to pull away.  
"Is he even awake?" Sirius asked.  
"Yes. He responds to pain, although barely. Looks like our mystery fox needs more time to recover. If he doesn't talk, and the rest of his team can't identify him, then we'll have no way of saying who he really is." Kai pushed a few medications through the fox's IV line, before loosely draping a blanket over him.  
"Vega was supposed to be his girlfriend, right?"  
"Technically she's Regulus now, but yes."  
"I'm too used to 'Vega'. In any case, I'm sure she'll be able to identify him."  
"Except she's in prison."  
"You can do anything, I'm sure you can bust her out."  
"Maybe with help, but certainly not alone. In any case, the priority is disabling that bomb."  
"Well, I'll leave you to that. I'll stay here, just in case."  
"In case of what? You just want her to wake up while you're by her side so you can look good."  
"Well aren't you just Mister Ruins-everything."  
"Pull up a bed; that way you won't destroy your spine by sitting hunched."  
"Yeah, but that's creepy if I'm lying down adjacent to her."  
"It's your back. Take care, Sirius." He walked back into the hallway, and on to the armory. With only a few hours until dawn, he had a lot to accomplish.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took long enough; huge thanks again to Jackofallfables for reading over the chapter for me. I took a few all-nighters to get projects done, and I've freed up enough to write a bit. I was going to do a gag where Kai found Leora in a cardboard box, but decided that it wasn't appropriate. I'll leave the scene to your imagination.**

 **It isn't as action packed as a usual chapter, but I needed a branch to connect the last one and the next one. At any rate, 40 numbered chapters at long last. I'm fairly close to 300k words, so hopefully I can reach that and finish up the story before my bad habits kill me.  
**

 **I don't have much else to say, and I doubt you want to hear me complain about my health any more than I already have, so I'll just cut it off here.**

 **Feel free to ask questions, I'll try my best to answer them. My writing hasn't been very coherent the past few chapters, so I want to make sure I fix any problems or inconsistencies. Even if you don't have questions, I'd love to have any form of human interaction. Reading recommendations would be good, I'd love something to binge-read right about now. Two weeks of sitting behind a desk staring only at C and Assembly, and subsisting on free candy, bad and cheap mixed drinks, and cup ramen is both boring and depressing.**

* * *

Fun Fact #44: A single cloud can weigh more than 1 million pounds.


	47. Chapter XXXXI: The Team Stays Together

**7 AM**

Kai woke Leora with a knock at the door.  
"Y… yeah?" she muttered, drowsily.  
"Good morning. You're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I hope?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, yawning.  
"It's a figure of speech. We need to set out soon." He held up several hangers, brilliant blue fabric adorning them. "I've got your uniform."  
"Mhm." She took a glance to the door, and her eyes immediately went wide. "It's so…"  
"I did my best, but I'm no tailor. Try it on, let me know what you think." He held it out and wiggled it.  
"Well, that—I—um…" She continued to murmur incoherently.  
"Is there a problem?"  
"I'm kind of not wearing anything under these sheets. Could you… you know…" She whirled a finger in a circle, attempting to convey for him to turn around.  
"Nothing I haven't seen before."  
"I was blind, I didn't really have much of a choice."  
"I had actually forgotten about that. I was referring to the mammals in my day."  
"Oh, ha ha," she remarked sarcastically.  
He shrugged and turned around. Leora scampered behind him, quickly snatching the uniform and absconding into the adjacent bathroom.  
"Come back in like, twenty minutes," she shouted.

Kai left to wake Felix, who had, instead, given a very lackluster response. After giving Felix his uniform, he returned to wait for Leora. No more than twenty minutes had passed, and she emerged, fur slightly damp, wearing the uniform.  
"What do you think?"  
"How long were you waiting there?" she immediately asked.  
"You said twenty minutes, I waited just less."  
"Anyone else would call you a creep."  
"And you?"  
"I'd say it was thoughtful that you would just waste that much time sitting there."  
"So, your opinion on the uniform?"  
"I love it!" she squeaked, before seeing Kai's expression. "I mean... I don't get why I need a sword and a handgun, but the uniform is pretty nice." She smiled and gave a twirl. "Very nice, indeed."  
"The sword is decorative; the handgun is practical."  
"I figured as much. It fits really well, almost like you knew my exact measurements."  
"I did."  
She stared at him like he was crazy.  
"Well, I approximated," he admitted.  
"This well?"  
"It's not hard."  
She rotated and examined the uniform.  
"The tail fastener was a pain in my ass to do. Well, not literally, but you get the point."  
"It's two buttons."  
"Yeah, but regular clothing just has an elastic-lined gap. If you don't expect something, it's difficult to do."  
"I'll keep that in mind for the future. What do you think about the fabric, the texture?"  
"Almost feels like silk," she commented.  
"It is silk. There are steel and titanium fibers woven in."  
"Why?"  
"I thought you would appreciate the practicality of added slash resistance."  
"It can't possibly protect that well."  
"Of course not; that's why you two will also be wearing a light bulletproof vest."  
"How light? I don't want to lug around plates."  
He raised a brow.  
"I included it with the uniform. I would assume you're already wearing it."  
"Wait…" she unbuttoned the outermost jacket, before unbuttoning the inner one as well. "Where?"  
"It's the white vest, you're wearing it just under the blue."  
"This? I thought it was stiff." She began to laugh. "How much can this block?"  
"Nine millimeter."  
She gave an expression of shock, before shrugging and fixing the buttons back together.  
"And the sword?" She drew her weapon, waving it around. "It's so light!"  
She gave several practice swings, the last of which embedded the sword in a wooden column.  
"I—uh—um… I can fix that." She struggled to pull the sword out, bracing her leg on the column.  
Kai sighed, walking up and pulling the sword out with ease.  
"Be careful, please," he spoke.  
She gave a meek grin.  
"Careful is my middle name."  
Kai opened his mouth to speak, but Leora interrupted.  
"If you mention me raking your face one more time, I'll do it again."  
Kai quickly shut his mouth, and she ran to embrace him.  
"Heh. In any case, I love it. Thank you."  
"That's good to hear. Come, Felix is waiting for us."

Once they were ready, they all made way for the dining hall. The only other soul in the room aside from the three of them was Sirius, carrying two trays of food.  
"Sirius, your gluttony knows no bounds. Two trays of steak?" Kai mused.  
"Hey, one's for Grace."  
"You're dragging her into the wonderful world of eating beef?"  
"Wait, wait," Felix started. "That's… cow, right?"  
"Yes, that is correct," Kai affirmed.  
"Why? I thought one cannibal among us was bad enough."  
"Don't knock it until you try it," Sirius scolded. "Besides, these cows were bred specifically to be eaten. That, and she asked for a tray."  
"I'll pass," Felix muttered, voice laden with disgust.  
"Sirius," Kai said, stopping the wolf. "Don't spill anything."  
"Will do, chief."

They quickly found food, and sat to eat; Leora and Felix both stared at the trays of 'filet mignon' for a long time, but decided against it. Not long after, they were ready to depart. The trio walked to the shaft entrance; Sirius saw that they were leaving, and tagged along to give his farewells. Kai's two companions boarded the elevator, but when Kai took the first step on the stairs, he stopped.  
"Now, don't destroy anything while I'm gone," Kai instructed. "I'm putting you in charge until I return."  
"Oh come on, when have I ever destroyed anything?" Sirius watched as Kai took a few steps more.  
"I'm sure you'll find a way. Tell the others that we'll be back in around five hours."  
Kai began to ascend, but Sirius stopped him.  
"Can I get some jerky?"  
"Mi casa es su casa."  
"What?"  
"Help yourself."  
"Oh, and uh… one more thing?"  
"Maybe when I get back."  
"But you didn't even hear what I—"  
"You're going to ask to be scratched, and then I'll have to waste more time here instead of traveling to the military base."  
Sirius' jaw fell slack.  
"You're very simple, Sirius. You eat, you sleep, and you enjoy belly rubs. That's about it."  
"That is not true! I also enjoy politics!"  
"So you're basically a glorified dog that can vote. That makes you, what? The average human?"  
Sirius chortled.  
"Self deprecating humor won't make me forgive you that easily."  
Kai removed a gauntlet before violently scratching at Sirius' neck.  
"Ow, not—not so hard!" the wolf responded, shying away. Once he was on the floor, Kai patted him on the head gently.  
"Good dog. Stay."  
"How rude," Sirius muttered, standing and brushing himself off. As he glanced up the large shaft, he caught a glimpse of the human absconding, several steps at a time. "The least you could have done was scratch gently…"  
"Maybe when I get back!" Kai shouted down.

As Sirius complained to himself, traveling back through the complex, Kai vaulted up the stairs deep in thought. He was scheduled to meet the general at nine. However, the drive to the base was roughly an hour, meaning he would be cutting it very close. When he arrived at the top, he found the others patiently waiting.  
"Let's go," he spoke, setting his disguise to that of a wolf. They trudged down the mountain path until they came to a black limo, parked haphazardly in the field.  
"Where did this come from?" Leora questioned.  
"I… borrowed it," Kai answered.  
"You mean you stole it."  
"I intend to return it."  
"In any case, you said you wouldn't leave!"  
"I said that I would try not to. Unless, of course, you wish to take a stolen army truck whose license plate is most likely known across the land to a military base."  
She opened her mouth to speak, but fell silent.  
"You're driving," Kai responded, throwing the keys to Leora.  
"Why do I have to drive?"  
"Fine." He took the keys and gave them to Felix. "You drive."  
"Why us? Why not you?"  
"I should expect that an ambassador's guards would drive him, and not the other way around. However, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."  
Felix grumbled, and reluctantly sat in the driver's seat.  
"Where is this base?" he asked.  
"Go along the road for an hour, I'll let you know from there."  
Felix shrugged, and they set off.

The drive was nearly silent, until they came within viewing distance of the massive base and airstrip.  
"I assume that's it," Felix piped up.  
"Indeed it is." Kai reached forward and gave a set of papers to him. "Give them the papers, and tell them that the ambassador is here on personal summons to see the base commander."  
"He gave you a summons?" Leora asked.  
"No, I forged one."  
"How'd you know his signature?"  
"The internet."  
"Fair enough. Are you sure they'll buy it?"  
"With a signed paper, they have no choice."  
"I meant the base commander."  
"I was instructed by his former superior that he was expecting me."  
"I just hope this doesn't go to shit."  
"If it does, I have a backup plan."  
They drove up to the main gate, at which point they were stopped. Felix had a small exchange with the guard, before he was allowed to drive and park in a large lot.  
"They're going to make a few calls," he elaborated.  
"Moment of truth."  
They sat for several tense minutes, before a soldier approached them and knocked on the window.  
"General's driving out to meet you himself," he told them.  
"Thank you," Felix answered.

Not long after, an open-aired jeep came up; in the passenger seat sat a coyote in general's uniform. Kai bowed slightly, before shaking the general's paw.  
"Perhaps we can speak in my office?" he suggested.  
"After you," Kai answered. The three of them sat in the vehicle, and they drove off.  
"Very pleased to finally meet someone of your standing," the general announced. "Normally, I don't get nearly as exciting guests." He chuckled to himself.  
"Rather jovial, for the commander of the armed forces."  
"A little humor helps me get through my day."  
They shortly thereafter arrived at a small building. Inside, they went through several turns, before coming to a stop in front of the door.  
"Sergeant, you are relieved," the coyote instructed. The driver nodded, and left the four of them standing there.  
"I presume you know why I am here."  
"Yes, although I must admit your forgery skills are rather impressive. You already called ahead, I don't see why the deception was necessary."  
"It speeds along the bureaucracy."  
"I agree. Now, let's get to business." The coyote's face instantly shifted to a calm, yet menacing visage. "I was instructed to ask for your real face."  
"No doubt by Arcturus?"  
"Of course."  
"That would make you Denebola, then?"  
"Correct again, albeit unofficially."  
Kai looked left, and then right.  
"Perhaps inside the office?"  
"I have sensitive documents that I would hate for an impostor to view."  
"I'll make this quick." Kai turned off the disguise, and removed the mask. The coyote gave a quick inspection, before unlocking the office door. Kai quickly remade the disguise while the general opened the door.  
"Right this way."  
"You seem hardly surprised."  
"I'm not, to be honest. There are monsters everywhere in society; some are moral, some are physical."  
"He's not a monster!" Leora protested.  
"Everyone's a monster. Some just show it, and others act it."  
"Which one are you?"  
"Quiet, please, Leora," Kai spoke, as the coyote grinned. The four of them entered, to find that three mammals in civilian clothes were already sitting along the far wall. When they looked up, their faces beamed instantly.  
"Leora, you're alive!" one of them spoke.  
"Prance? Bjorn, Rufus, you're already here!" she responded, pulling Prance into a hug.  
"We thought you were dead!" Rufus exclaimed.  
"Why would you think that?"  
"After my car came back all bloody, I thought he dragged you off and slaughtered you somewhere discrete. We haven't heard anything about you for more than two months!"  
"Admittedly, the ambassador payed us a visit," Bjorn began, "But then we found out that Neal died, not two days later."  
"He's a shady individual," Rufus concluded. "You would do best to avoid him from now on."  
"Ahem," Kai cleared his throat. "I'm right here."  
"I don't know what you're playing at, or why you're still with us, but I suggest you stop ruining our lives," Rufus growled. "My mother always warned me about strange wolves, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I see now that I was wrong in doing that."  
"You already know he's not a wolf," Felix stated. "You were the first to guess that."  
"Then why do we still not know what you are?" Rufus questioned, getting obnoxiously close to Kai.  
"You mean to say you didn't tell them?" the general inquired.  
"Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my time here." He slowly turned off the disguise, and removed his mask. "Now you—"  
Rufus wound up and punched him across the jaw; Kai merely took the blow, before righting his head.  
"Satisfied?"  
"I feel a little better, yeah."  
"Knowing how I've treated you, I probably deserve that. In any case, I'm done leaving you in the dark."  
"Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way," Denebola spoke, "Let's continue with the problem at hand."  
"Right. I need you to obtain shipping manifests for the past month for every base on this side of the country."  
The coyote nodded and made a phone call.  
"Private, I need the shipping manifests for all of the bases on this half of the nation… Yes… Denied for Clawburg? Try access code PK3927H… Still denied? Ignore Clawburg then, send the rest to my computer. Goodbye." He pulled up and printed out several lengthy documents. "Alright, your best bet is Clawburg. Seeing how I've been denied as the Commander, someone's keeping something from me."  
"Thank you, general. One last thing, if I may ask." He replaced his disguise once more. "I need you to bring Captain Rudyard Shere, and Lieutenant Romulus Wolfe to my vehicle."  
"May I ask why?"  
"A personal matter."  
The coyote stared for a long time.  
"Can I expect to see them again?"  
"No."  
He sighed.  
"Fine, I'll forge some transfer paperwork for them, pin it on them going AWOL. I always suspected that they had a screw loose, and I suppose they finally did themselves in. I'll see if I can get you into the Clawburg Installation as well, but no guarantees."  
"Wait," Leora interjected. "If I may ask…"  
"Yes?" the general responded.  
"Why don't you personally go check out the installation? They can't deny you a personal visit."  
"They can, and they will. My best bet is to keep helping Director Savage in whatever he—"  
"Helping?!"  
"I can go two ways about this. The first is that I interfere. I will slow him down by a day, by which time he will have me killed and replaced by one of his ranks. What they will do, I have no way of saying. The second is that I go with his plan as painfully slow as I can, allowing bureaucracy to interfere for me. He can't oust me without looking bad, and it will buy you some much-needed time to disable his weapon."  
"Anyone wanna inform us about what you're talking about?" Prance inquired.  
"Perhaps when we get back," Kai answered.  
"I take it you're ready to go?" Denebola said.  
"Yes."

The coyote made a phone call and escorted the six of them back to the limo, where they found a tiger and a wolf waiting for them. Upon seeing Kai, they saluted.  
"You asked to see us?" the wolf inquired.  
"Yes, I asked for two soldiers with outstanding records to accompany me around. I hope you are those two?"  
"Err… Yes, of course!"  
"Get in."  
They all entered the limo, and Felix drove them off. They continued for quite a ways along back country roads, with Kai giving directions on where to turn. Eventually, he instructed Felix to stop, insisting that they reached a good spot. He stepped out with Leora, and invited the two soldiers to join him. They walked quite far from the limo before stopping.  
"Now, if I may ask a few questions of you two," he started.  
"Yes?" the tiger responded.  
"You're good soldiers, right?"  
"I'd like to think so, sir."  
"Who is your commanding officer?"  
"Major Bodistrasz."  
"Is he new?"  
"Yeah, about two months ago we were transferred to him. Why?"  
"Who was your previous CO?"  
"Major Chandre."  
"What happened to him?"  
"He went AWOL. He's still missing, as a matter of fact."  
"Now, one more question. What were you doing with him two months and eight days ago?"  
Instantly their faces went pale. They reached for their weapons, but Kai disarmed them and threw them to the ground.  
"My sources indicate that you were up to no good."  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Perhaps… in the apartment of a certain leopardess?"  
"Assaulting a soldier is a crime."  
"So is rape."  
They struggled unsuccessfully. He pulled a sharp, slightly curved knife from his suit, whose edge was serrated into backwards spines, before handing it to Leora.  
"They're all yours."  
"Really? You give me this?" she waved the dagger slightly. "You must be a real fan of irony. I think I'll use it on the tiger, see how he likes sharp spines poking around where they shouldn't be."  
"That's an Etruscan torture tool, any phallic symbolism was entirely accidental."  
She hunched over the tiger.  
"What do you want with us?!" he shouted.  
"You really don't recognize me, do you?" She pulled off her ceremonial cap.  
"No, no… you're supposed to be dead!"  
"I hate to disappoint." She jammed the knife into his lower right ribs, twisting the knife. He howled in agony, flailing against her, but she continued to push the dagger deeper. "That doesn't feel so good, does it?"  
He was gasping, hardly drawing in breath, and didn't reply. She stopped and stood up, leaving the knife embedded in him, before staring at her paws.  
"I… I can't do this," she spoke to Kai. "I'm a cop, I'm supposed to help mammals. This feels wrong."  
"Want me to take over?"  
"I… no."  
"What do you propose we do with them, then?"  
"Let them go. I hate them as much as the next mammal, but I can't bear to do to them what they did to me."  
"You truly are a kind soul!" the wolf muttered.  
"Silence!" Kai commanded, ripping the dagger from the tiger's chest; the tiger produced a pained yelp, but quickly fell silent. "You are alive because she deems it so. I want you to get lost." He pointed to the horizon. "Walk straight that way. Don't ever stop walking. If you stop, or if you sway from the straightest line, I will kill you."  
The wolf nodded, standing and helping the tiger up. They immediately began hobbling in the designated direction, not pausing for anything.  
"I can't believe I let them go. For two months, I wanted nothing but revenge, to see them suffer," Leora began. "But now that I'm here, I can't feel anything except disgust. At them for what they did, and at myself for what I was about to."  
"That was incredibly merciful of you."  
"Spare me the theatrics."  
He shrugged, and they both watched as the soldiers shambled off.  
"Say, that line doesn't look very straight," Kai commented.  
"Looks straight to me."  
"In any case, I'm not one to leave loose ends." He waited until they reached the top of a hill before pulling out his handgun and picking them off. Their business done, they returned to the limo, where they found the rest of the party full of shock.  
"Why did I hear two gunshots?" Rufus inquired.  
"More importantly, what did you do with the soldiers?" Prance followed up.  
"Lex talionis."  
"What for?" Rufus pressed.  
"That's for Leora and I to know. If she feels like telling you, she will." He looked over, and she was leaning heavily against the car window, staring into the distance. "No matter. Felix, let's go home."  
The cat nodded, and they resumed their drive. Roughly ten minutes later, the silence was broken.  
"So, I assume you have us for a reason?" Rufus inquired. "Certainly not to reminisce?"  
"Correct. I need your help."  
"With what? We heard talk of a weapon."  
"Remember the 'firework show' I put on for Bogo?"  
"Yes?"  
"Remember Mapleton?"  
"What about it?"  
"Director Jack Savage of the ZSS has built such a bomb, and plans to hold the world hostage with it."  
"Why?"  
"His motives are as mysterious to me as they are to you. All that matters is that we need to stop him."  
"Why we? Why not you?"  
"As unbelievable as it sounds, I can't do it alone. Well, I probably can, but it would be stupidly difficult."  
"How can we help?"  
"You are mammals. We have military uniforms back at the bunker, so once you put them on, you won't go amiss in a military base. I, on the other hand… well, technically I'm a mammal, too, but it doesn't take a genius to sniff me out."  
"And you want us to find and destroy this weapon? How cliché."  
"I want you to find it. Leave the disarming to me."  
"After that, can we finally go home? Without a doubt, my wife is already worried sick."  
"I'll need you for a little while after; at least until Jack is out of the picture. I'm sorry that I'm keeping you from your families for so long, but—and I mean this in the most serious sense possible—the world, hundreds of billions of lives are at stake."  
"I don't mind, to be honest," Prance piped up. "I'm enjoying the adventure."  
"You literally died," Rufus reminded him. "Your leg is still messed up. I don't know how you can enjoy yourself around him."  
"I don't really have much to go back to. No family, I can't work… I've been investing somewhat heavily with the money I got from him, but stocks don't require my presence to rise."  
"I know I have made questionable decisions previously," Kai spoke. "But, from now on, you are more important to me than the mission. Looking back, I can't believe I prioritized the other way."  
Rufus sighed.  
"I'll trust you again. Don't take my trust lightly. However, we need a plan if we want to infiltrate a military base."  
"We have time to figure it out. Ideally, we do it at dusk."  
"Why dusk?" Leora asked.  
"Shifts change at dusk; they are more likely to be relaxed. If we do this right, they'll never know we were there."  
"Alright, at dusk," Rufus reiterated. "But, how?"  
"You'll masquerade as soldiers. Find the bomb, and radio me."  
"What will you do?"  
"I'm pulling sniping duty. We're down our sniper, and we need someone on overwatch."  
"Alright. I trust you have good weaponry?"  
"Naturally, you'll have to use standard weaponry for your disguises. However, I can supply advanced sidearms, since those will be concealed."  
Rufus nodded.  
"You've been fairly quiet, Bjorn," Leora noticed.  
"I don't know what to think about this is all," the polar bear responded.  
"I know this is a lot to take in, but you'll have a few hours to settle down, and rest," Kai spoke reassuringly.  
"Speaking of which, where are we going?"  
As if on cue, Felix stopped the limo; they had arrived.  
"Welcome to my humble abode." Kai grinned.  
"This is the middle of nowhere."  
"Follow me." Everyone exited and followed Kai up the mountain path. Once or twice, Prance stumbled, and required Bjorn to help him back up. For his sake, Kai slowed down the pace. Soon, they arrived at the vault door, which he opened.  
"Elevator's this way," Leora instructed, leading them to the lift.  
"Race you down," Kai said humorously.  
"Oh, really?" Rufus chuckled. "This is an express elevator; I suspect it goes down for several thousand feet."  
"Six miles, actually."  
"All the better. Fine, I'll put ten bucks that we'll make it first."  
"Just to bet the other side, ten says he will," Leora responded.  
"It's a bet."  
The elevator doors closed, and Kai jumped.

When the doors opened again, he was already waiting for them.  
"Six miles my ass," Rufus protested.  
"It really is six miles, I just jumped."  
"And you didn't splatter?"  
"I have a lot of explaining to do, it seems. But first, you're probably hungry."  
"Yeah, military food sucks."  
As Kai gave them a quick tour, they paused at the medical facility.  
"Is that… Senator Cynewulf?" Prance inquired.  
"One and the same. Sirius, we have guests."  
"Oh, hello," he piped up from Grace's bedside.  
They nearly continued, but Rufus paused, rushing into the room. He stopped at the white fox's bedside.  
"Is there a problem?" Kai asked.  
"No, I just… could have sworn it was Neal."  
"It's not?"  
"I can't say. Maybe he had a trim, but… I can't say."  
"Damn. I was hoping someone could identify him." Kai shook his head. "It's not important right now. Go eat. Leora, show the way."  
The five left, leaving Kai in the medbay with the injured mammals and their consorts.  
"You're still here," Sirius observed, walking up.  
"I'm not particularly hungry. Besides, they could use an hour or two alone. Have you really been here the entire time?"  
"Yeah," he answered nonchalantly. "Changed her bags another time."  
"How's she doing?"  
"Says she's fine, just tired."  
"It's possible that I missed a fragment, then. Must have been small."  
"Is there anything we can do?"  
"I can run a CT scan. From there, if there's still something, I'll have to break out the surgeon's kit again."  
"I hope it doesn't come to that."  
Kai took a look over at the rabbit's bed. She was lying awake, staring at the ceiling. It appeared to him that Nick was elsewhere.  
"Do you know where Nick went?" he asked of her.  
"He's getting food for both of us," Judy responded.  
"Fair enough."  
"So," Sirius butted in, "You promised me some scratches when you got back; and no, that miserable excuse of one that you did before you left doesn't count."  
Kai let out an exasperated sigh.  
"Don't give me that, come on," Sirius stated. "Grace is also curious as to your skills."  
"Don't call them that, you'll make it weird."  
"As if it isn't weird already." He led the man over to the wolf's bed. "Hey Grace, the 'doctor' is here to see you."  
"Seriously?" Kai muttered, glaring daggers at Sirius.  
"Oh, is he ready to 'perform his examination'?" Grace continued, chuckling.  
"I'm done." Kai turned around and began to walk away.  
"Hey, wait!" Sirius shouted. "Come back, please!"  
"Alright, on one condition."  
"That being?"  
"All fours." Kai pointed to the floor. Sirius immediately fell to all fours. Kai grabbed some curio at random from the nearby counter, and chucked it down the room. "Fetch."  
Sirius obediently walked over, grabbed the bottle in his mouth, and returned.  
"What are you doing, Ian?" Grace inquired, giving a slight laugh. "That looks degrading."  
"It's so worth it," he answered, once he dropped the bottle.  
"Heel," Kai commanded.  
Sirius sat back.  
"Roll over."  
Sirius rolled over.  
"Up." Kai pointed to the empty bed, and Sirius jumped up onto it.  
"Good dog!" he praised, scratching around the wolf's neck. Sirius squirmed, kicking his leg, much to Grace's amusement; once Judy heard the chuckles, she glanced over, and too started to laugh.  
"What's he doing?" Judy asked.  
"He enjoys this."  
"Oh... don't... give me that... you like this too!" Sirius said between pants.  
"Okay, now I'm curious," Grace spoke. "You won't make me jump through hoops, will you?"  
"No. First time's free."  
"Ooh la la. Ian, I think your friend's a drug dealer."  
"If he is… I don't want to stop…" Sirius' tongue was out and he was panting.  
"Alright," Grace spoke humorously. "I'll take a hit."  
Kai began simultaneously scratching at her neck as well. Both wolves were extremely satisfied, and were giggling gleefully. Judy could only laugh.  
"Erm…" spoke a voice from the door. Kai turned around to find that Nick had returned, and was giving bewildered glances. "I… don't have words for this."  
"Why not? I think it's hilarious," Judy piped up.  
Nick walked straight to Judy, giving her a tray of food. Inadvertently, Kai had slowed the pace of his scratching; Grace pawed at his hand.  
"Why are you stopping?" she demanded.  
"Junkies, the both of you," Kai mused, pulling away. There was an audible sound of disappointment from them. "As much as I would like to keep going, you need a CT, and I have to go plan."  
"Why do I need a CT?" she inquired.  
"It's possible I missed a fragment. I trust Sirius can take care of it."  
"I'm not a CT technician," Sirius warned.  
"Just wheel her over and hit the button. Easy."  
"Fine, but when will you be back?" Sirius asked greedily.  
"I'll still be here, in my study. Her scan will take, at most, five minutes. The question now is if you'd rather spend the remaining time with her, or with me." Kai produced an evil laugh.  
Sirius looked first at him, and then at Grace.  
"I'll stay, thanks though."  
"You'd give that up for me?" she asked, full of disbelief.  
"Some things are worth all the scratches in the world."  
"That would sound sweet," Nick piped up, "If it didn't sound to absurd."  
"Nick, don't be rude!" Judy reprimanded.  
"I'm not being rude, I'm calling it like I see it. They're acting like fools."  
"Oh, as if you never said or did anything stupid in your life," Grace protested.  
"No, he once sprayed himself in the face with fox repellent," Judy provided.  
"Carrots, you're not helping," Nick grumbled.  
"On purpose, I might add."  
"Carrots!"  
She laughed; Kai quickly absconded while they were distracted.

* * *

 **A/N: As usual, Jackofallfables is carrying me through these chapters. He's the real hero of this story. I may have missed a few typos, so sorry about that. I hope the chapter doesn't feel out of place, but I'm about to be really busy again and I wanted to put something out.**

 **I would have called the chapter 'Reunion', but I've already got a chapter called that.**

 **I don't know what I'm doing anymore. College is killing me, and I can't take one step outside or on Facebook without getting harassed about the US election. At any rate, I figure I'll finish up this plot, and I've got at least two more fairly major stories that I'm sure I could flesh out into another two books. Assuming I don't spontaneously die, you can expect at least another story. Probably two, though. As of yet there is no way of telling when I'll just spontaneously die, but my liver doesn't seem to be failing today, and my kidneys only mildly pain me.**

 **Without sounding pretentious or giving an Oscar speech, I wanted to thank everyone for actually reading this far, and everyone who tagged on kind words in the reviews for last chapter. Speaking of which, I don't tend to reply to reviews unless it seems like an outstanding question or problem, but I'll always answer PMs as long as you keep the conversation fresh. There might be a few conversations that I've left hanging, but if you send me a reminder, I'll get back to it.**

 **I can't do a fun fact today. I'm actually considering dropping them entirely, since it's the third longest holdup after writing and formatting.**


	48. Chapter XXXXII: Defusal

Leora led the others through the massive shelves of food.  
"All the food you could ever eat," Bjorn muttered in awe.  
"Yeah, just stay away from anything labeled 'beef' or 'pork'," Felix warned. "Veal, venison, and mutton, too."  
"Why's that?"  
"They're just names for cow, pig, calf, deer, and sheep."  
"He eats mammal?!" Rufus shouted.  
"It's a long story," Leora explained.  
"I'd better hear it."  
"Maybe later. I wanna eat, first."  
"Fine. What's safe to eat, then?"  
"Oh, it's all safe. Whether it's ethical is the real problem."  
"You know what I mean."  
They fished for several more minutes, before she instructed them on preparing the food. Shortly after, they sat to eat.

They started eating silently, but before long, the silence was broken.  
"Alright," Rufus spoke.  
"Alright what?" Felix replied.  
"I think I speak for the three of us, when I say we want an explanation."  
"Explanation for what?"  
"You know what. Who he is, what this place is—the works."  
"I… I'm not sure I can answer that."  
"Can you?" Rufus asked of Leora.  
She gave a deep sigh, and picked at her food.  
"Well… where do I start?"  
"Where did you go? Why were you gone for so long? Why was my car so bloody?"  
"I wouldn't push that," Felix warned.  
"It's… I owe them an explanation, Felix," Leora spoke quietly, turning back to Rufus. "Nothing will make any sense unless I go back quite a while."  
"Back, how long?" Rufus inquired.  
"Before we met. A little before I started working for the ZPD."  
"You were still in the army then, right? Why'd you switch jobs?"  
"Dishonorable discharge."  
"And Chief Bogo hired you?"  
"I… didn't tell him until much later."  
"Why not?"  
"Shame. That, and 'assaulting a superior officer' doesn't go so well on a track record."  
"Why would you assault a superior officer?"  
"He assaulted me, not the other way around." She waited for a reply, but found that Rufus had only raised his brow. "Being the only female, I had separate bunking from everyone else. Now, for a long time, he was a good CO. Always seemed like he cared, frequently inconvenienced himself to spare others from extra paperwork. Then, one night, he showed up drunk at my quarters."  
She paused for several moments to try to figure out her wording, but gave up.  
"He... assaulted me. Eventually," she continued, "I managed to claw out his eye and run for help. Naturally, he had friends in high places, and I got discharged."  
"What happened to him?"  
"He got promoted, of course."  
Rufus narrowed his gaze, but remained silent.  
"So, it took me a while, but I eventually found work at the ZPD. Then, you all know what came on our doorstep."  
"The 'ambassador'," Prance supplemented.  
"Correct. After that fell through, most of us made Downtown SWAT. That was fine for a while, and then we got our first big bust."  
"Flaunder's Farm, if I'm not mistaken," Felix stated.  
"Yeah, and who do you think I'd find cowering beneath the desk?"  
"So _that's_ why you maced him!" Bjorn spoke, in sudden revelation.  
"We booked him, but of course, he gets bailed out again. I was beyond mad, but I had to let it go. Then, over the weekend, I get a call from Bogo in the ungodly hours of the morning: he wanted me to come in, since he was understaffed. I agree, tell him I'd be there, and start getting ready. I almost made it out the door when I hear the floor creak behind me. I turned just in time to get hit in the face by a ball bat." Prance covered his mouth in shock, while the others simply leaned in. "After I was on the floor, and my gun was gone, he brought in two of his buddies."  
"The soldiers we took with us," Rufus figured.  
"Precisely. He had them restrain me while he beat me. He broke my legs, cracked my ribs, broke my eye socket and nearly blinded me, but I didn't give him the satisfaction he wanted. He decided that he would have that satisfaction. So, he had them hold me down… while…" She slowly shook her head and stared into the distance for a while. "Every five minutes, right when I thought I would pass out, he would cut me, or kick me in the ribs, or hit me with the bat; he would force me awake. Every five minutes for _three_ _fucking_ _hours_. When he was done, he bound my wrists and my ankles, made a noose, and hung me from my ceiling fan. The next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor, with a very familiar ambassador holding me."  
Their slightly unnerved expressions belied their true feelings of disgust and shock.  
"He cleaned me up, bound my wounds, and wanted to take me to the hospital, but we hit a snag."  
"That snag being?"  
"First, that lion fucked with my medical history. Second, we didn't have a car."  
"So that blood—"  
"Was mine, but the ambassador had nothing to do with it. He drove to some building out of the way. From there, he fixed my records, and napped the lion. Took us way out, to the scenic middle of nowhere, on a hill some forty miles from the city. Let's say we… returned the favor."  
"What did you do?"  
"I gutted him, tied his innards to a tree, made him walk until he ran out of intestines, beat him, carved out and ate his liver, and left him for the birds. He was awake the whole time, I assure you," they heard from the doorway; Kai had wandered in, in casual attire, holding several neatly folded uniforms.  
"You ate his liver?!" Rufus shouted, angry.  
"It was disgusting, I assure you. However, even knowing the truth, you still show shock?"  
"You're a cannibal!"  
"Cannibalism is when you eat your _own_ species. In any case, it's a bad habit of mine."  
Rufus glared.  
"Oh, don't act so shocked, especially when you're eating _cojones_."  
"I just picked something that sounded decent that also wasn't mammal."  
Kai walked up and whispered rather loudly in his ear, with a large smile growing on his face.  
" _Cojones_ are bull testicles." Immediately, Rufus began to retch, amidst the laughter of his companions. Kai shrugged. "You didn't have a problem until I told you. Anyways, as much as I hate to interrupt your catching up, I have uniforms. Get these on sometime before we leave." He set the clothes on the table, and turned to leave.  
"Wait," Prance spoke.  
"Yes?"  
"Who are you, really?"  
Kai closed his eyes in thought.  
"Give me a minute." He left, and fairly shortly after, returned with a rather thick book. "Knock yourselves out."  
"What's this? _The Compendium of_ _the World's Most Influential_ _Men, vol. 3_?"  
"Normally they cram five or six people into one book. They felt I was so great that they dedicated a whole book to me."  
"So what is this, your biography or something?"  
"Something like that."  
Prance opened the book, and everyone crowded around him.  
"Wait, this starts at age 15, what kind of biography is this?"  
"Certain things are kept under tight wraps."  
Prance shrugged, and began to scan the page methodically. Soon, he paused and pointed at something on the page. Immediately, everyone began to giggle.  
"Your name is Garrett Sinclair?" Felix muttered, amused.  
"Why do you find that funny?"  
"No, no, it's nothing."  
"Suit yourselves. I have a few things to finish, so I'll take my leave."  
"Wait, you can't leave!"  
"Why not?"  
"What if we have questions?"  
Kai checked the clock on the wall, before sitting down at the table.  
"Fine, fine. I have time for a few."

Prance read aloud for several lines before pausing.  
"'At age seventeen, Garrett was the second youngest to undertake, and the youngest to survive the Winter Travail'," he repeated. "Winter Travail?"  
"Not something I enjoy talking about."  
"Come on, throw us a bone," Rufus pleaded.  
"The Winter Travail was a three-month long trial, comprised of three components: the test of strength, the test of will, and the test of necessity."  
"Sounds like something out of a bad adventure novel."  
Kai smiled.  
"That's what I thought, too. If I was the one to name it, I would have gone with numbers instead of silly names."  
"Alright, what are these tests?"  
"The test of strength involved being dropped into a fir forest in the arctic circle for a month, with nothing but a knife and light clothing."  
"Knowing how bald you are, that doesn't sound survivable."  
"Around half of all candidates didn't make it. Some died, most were crippled. Killing wasn't required, but many resorted to it for food or supplies."  
"What did you do?"  
"I killed a grizzly, used his pelt as a coat, and rationed the meat—"  
"You killed a bear?" Bjorn interrupted shyly.  
"There's something I need to clarify. In my youth, mammals to me were like fish are to you: good as pets, good to eat, and they don't interrupt you when you try to tell a story."  
"Sorry."  
"Right. The test of will was the hardest without a doubt, however. They gave you a code, a six digit number. You were required to remember it until the end of the second month."  
"That doesn't sound so bad."  
"You spend the next month getting tortured; you were not to reveal it, or you failed. You would be allowed to retake the exam at a later date, but most that gave in, didn't. The rest that gave in were crippled permanently from the beatings."  
"What's this exam supposed to test for?!" Felix spoke, surprised.  
"Whether one would make a good assassin."  
"And the last test?" Rufus asked.  
"The test of necessity: the survivors were split off into pairs, teams of exactly two—"  
"If there weren't an even number, what would happen?"  
"The leftover would fail."  
"That's completely unfair!"  
"Being an assassin required a certain amount of luck. If you're unlucky, you don't pass."  
They shook their heads.  
"The third test," Kai continued, "Would entail being locked in a cage, two to a cage. Rather spacious, but it was placed in the cold outdoors, such that you always shivered. Not freezing, but very uncomfortable."  
"Why that? If you made it through the arctic woods, you'd certainly make it through a cold room."  
"That's the thing: they provided two barrels of water, a knife, and a pound of grain. The instructions were to make it through the month; you could catch any animals that came by your cage, but you could not leave. Naturally, there were no animals in that neck of the woods."  
"How much is a pound of grain?"  
"Ordinarily, it's just under a day's rations."  
"How much can you stretch it?"  
"Again, ordinarily a month. However, two months of starvation up to that point would make it very difficult. Anyone who tried to ration it among the two of them would starve."  
"How are you here, then?"  
"I quickly realized that it wasn't food for two. It was barely food for one, since you would waste most of it in shivering. It was a stretch for one, but what was the alternative? I told my partner that we could take a small handful each, twice a week. He took his first handful and I took mine. As soon as he fell asleep, I broke his neck."  
"So you just killed him!"  
Kai sighed.  
"I wouldn't leave my life in his hands. At any rate, on the eight day, they let me go. I had passed."  
"Why? I thought they meant for you to last a month," Leora inquired.  
"The real purpose was to test whether or not you would survive at any cost. Hence, the test of 'necessity'. Once they saw how I was rationing, they decided that I wouldn't die."  
They all looked away.  
"Believe me, I'm as disgusted as you are."  
"… If you don't mind me asking," Rufus began. "You always talk about what mammals taste like, but what does your kind taste like?"  
"I've heard from other examinees that resorted to... other, more taboo methods, that it tastes like pig, but much too lean."  
"And what does pig taste like?"  
"Similar to beef, but more fatty, and with a slightly duller taste."  
"Can you give us a reference we can understand, or are you just gonna keep comparing it to other mammals?"  
"If you're so curious, there are several thousand packages of pork in the back."  
"I'll pass," Rufus muttered, laying his head on the table in disappointment.  
"You know what…" Leora began, standing. "I'll bite."  
"You can't be serious?!"  
"It's a once in a life-time opportunity, and Garrett assures me that they aren't intelligent mammals."  
"You believe him?"  
"He saved my life more than once, why would I distrust him?"  
"It's not for the faint of heart," Kai warned.  
"I know what I'm doing."  
Kai shrugged, and went to the food stores, returning shortly with a tray.  
"Here you are," he offered, setting it down in front of Leora. "Barbecue pulled pork."  
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Leora, before the smell hit them; instantly, everyone's mouth, save for Prance's, began watering. Leora prodded the mass of shredded meat with her fork, before eventually picking up a small amount.  
"Are you sure you wanna cross this line?" Rufus asked.  
"There's no line. I'm eating two thousand year old meat, which was bred for the sole purpose of being eaten."  
"Then why are you hesitating?"  
"I want to enjoy this," she hastily defended.  
"If you insist."  
She brought the fork close and nibbled very cautiously. Not long after, she ate everything on the fork, before eventually methodically shoveling the contents of the tray into her mouth.  
"I take it you enjoyed the experience?" Kai asked.  
"It's so good," she answered, voice muffled from speaking with her mouth full. After swallowing, she continued. "I was born two thousand years too late. You have any more?"  
"I'm glad that you like it, but…" He glanced at the clock once more. "You need to get ready. We can resume our little history lesson when we get back."  
They nodded, each taking an appropriately sized uniform and walking out.

* * *

 **3 PM**

They were waiting on the surface while Kai made a phone call; he shortly returned, signaling for them to enter the vehicle.  
"What's the news?" Felix inquired.  
"You'll drive us out," Kai responded. "I'll hop out a few miles from the destination, and you'll go to the main gate. The general already cleared your—"  
"Miles out?"  
"Is that a problem?"  
"If you're sniping, how will you hit anything?"  
"I'll do a quick walk around and scope out the entire perimeter before getting closer, but in case you run into premature troubles, I'm packing heavy artillery." He patted several weapons strapped to his back.  
"I'm still bummed that you get the good guns."  
"Maybe when you get back, I'll tell you the story of how I was dropped into Paris with no equipment, but I digress. Your goal, when you arrive, is to find the bomb. Do not try anything once you do; notify me on your radio."  
"So… why can't you come with us? It seems like a waste of time."  
Kai pointed to the snow, and stepped in it; he left a very conspicuous footprint.  
"Oh."  
"Any more questions?" Kai asked.  
"What does this bomb look like?"  
"Very large. Either a large sphere, or a large cylindrical shell, perhaps two meters in length. My money's on a sphere."  
"Why a sphere?"  
"Plutonium is only practical in implosion assemblies."  
"I don't know what that means, but I'll take your word for it," Rufus commented.  
"Let's head out. It'll be a two hour drive, and we need to arrive at dusk."  
They nodded, and piled into the truck; Leora initially expressed concern about driving the stolen vehicle, but Kai swapped out the license plate for a new one.

As they drove through the countryside, the winter sun cast increasingly longer shadows until it was swallowed by the horizon; the glow of the afternoon was replaced by the near pitch-black of night. Once the lights of the base were in sight, Kai jumped from the truck. He quickly found a small encampment off the road, whereupon he took his binoculars and scanned the horizon. The base appeared to have pretty relaxed security; several guard posts, primarily at the entrance, and an apparent lack of any guards patrolling the perimeter.  
"Radio when you get past the gate," he ordered.  
"Copy," Rufus answered.  
He waited for ten agonizing minutes before he got his reply.  
"We're in."  
Kai began to circle the base, looking for an entrance point. Several minutes later, he found a portion of the fence that was left unguarded; maintaining his distance, he rotated around to be closer to his point of entrance. He watched as his team parked the truck, exited, and walked out of his line of sight.  
"Report," Kai spoke.  
"Lax security. Almost as if… wait, that might be it."  
"That was fast," he responded, surprised.  
"Something isn't right."  
"Perhaps. Where are you?"  
"Hangar one."

Kai approached the fence at the same time that two guards happened by; before they noticed him, he pulled out his tranquilizer gun and darted the pair. When he reached the chain metal, he cut the links apart and entered. Watching for patrols, he skulked from cover to cover. Before long, he reached the side entrance of the primary hangar. He climbed a rather large stair along the side of the hangar before reaching the door.

He tried the handle and found that it was mechanically locked; he quickly picked the lock and jimmied the door open. Inside, he found a rather spacious interior. Aircraft were nowhere to be found; instead, hundreds of wires and pipes led from various sources into a large, spherical shell.  
"Bingo," he radioed. "Where are you?"  
No response. He moved to high ground to have a better look; near the other entrance of the hangar, he found his team held up by a large number of guards.  
"Do you need help?" he inquired, taking his rifle and aiming down the sights.  
"Mhm," he heard, nearly inaudibly.  
"When I count three, hit the ground. One." He chambered the rifle. "Two."  
Before he spoke three, his party dropped to the floor. Kai cursed their early action, and quickly shot off eight rounds. Seven of the eight guards collapsed immediately, while the last merely staggered. Kai chambered another round, and fired again. The final foe fell over, but not before pulling out his radio and hitting the call button.  
"You fell too early. Run to the bomb," Kai demanded.  
They all stood and sprinted; he jumped the railing and met them at the bottom.  
"Alright, how do we destroy this?" Leora asked, gently pulling at a wire.  
"Don't touch it," Kai barked. She immediately pulled away.

Kai reached into the heart of the bomb and cut several wires; when he retracted his hand, he pulled around and cut another wire on top, before pulling something out from his vest and splicing it in.  
"That should be it."  
"It won't fire now, right?" Prance asked, with a concerned look on his face.  
"It won't properly detonate."  
"Meaning?"  
"It will fizzle."  
"So… it'll fail?"  
"It won't meet critical mass. I disconnected the timing mechanism, so when it fires, it will initiate fission before blowing itself apart."  
"So… how big a blast?"  
"Easily enough to level the hangar."  
"And we're still here?"  
"Let's—" Kai was interrupted by a very loud siren. "Fuck. Fall back, rear entrance."  
They made it to the door, before a pair of soldiers rushed in; Kai kicked them back out, such that they flew over the railing and onto the snow below. Two gunshots quickly removed them from the picture.

The six of them made it halfway down the stairs, before two vehicles drove up; they barely had any time to react before mounted guns started firing at them. Kai fired back and barked for his team to jump the railing and take cover wherever they could. Once they were safe, Kai took a knee and sniped the gunners from the turrets. Satisfied, he too leaped the railing and took cover with his team behind several large shipping containers.  
"What now?!" Felix shouted.  
"Run for the fence," Kai responded, pointing to his entry point. "I'll…"  
"What's wrong?!"  
"I know that noise." He turned his head up, and rotated to locate the source.  
"What is it?!"  
He peeked the corner; when he did, his eyes went wide.  
"Shit! DUCK!"  
Everyone, save for Leora, responded instantly; he quickly pushed her over, just in time for a loud bang to blast a large hole in the shipping container, hitting him in her stead. He was launched head-over-heels several meters back, whereupon he came to a stop lying on his back.  
"NO!" she shouted, attempting to run to his side, before being restrained by Bjorn.  
"We can't help him now!" he responded.  
Rufus looked through the hole in the wall and found the main gun of a tank facing them.  
"Gah!" he yelled, quickly scrambling to the side. "Why is there a fucking tank after us?!"  
"We don't have time to argue," Felix stated, rather calmly. "We have to make a run for better cover."  
"A tank gun can shoot through twenty-eight inches of steel at this range!" Leora roared. "What cover?!"  
The tank fired a second time, piercing a hole in the container, dead between her head and Prance's head; a few inches in either direction would have turned them into paste. They quickly cowered for several seconds, before Leora sprinted around the container.  
"Where are you going?!" Bjorn shouted, attempting to chase after her, before being stopped by gunfire. "Don't be a hero!"

Avoiding the incoming barrage, Leora quickly scrambled up the side of the tank, attempting to pry open the hatch. Her efforts were in vain, as it was sealed from the inside. She withdrew her sidearm, which Kai promised to be armor-piercing, and pointed it down into the weak spot of the cover. However, before she managed to accomplish anything, a stray bullet struck her in the shoulder and knocked her to the ground.

Amidst the chaos, Kai lay dazed in the snow. The condition he was in could hardly be described as 'seeing stars'; rather, his mind exploded into a chorus of voices. The cacophony and din was overpowering; he couldn't gather his thoughts. He turned his head and spat blood into the snow, before assessing his situation; nothing was broken, but the armor-piercing tank shell shattered his heavy plate.

He tried to stand, but found that the immense pain in his chest stopped him. As fast as he could, he unbuckled his vest and threw it off, before trying again. Finding only marginally more success, he took a quick look around; several feet behind him, he found his railgun. He crawled to reach it, eventually taking it in hand and reorienting himself to face in the direction of the tank. He aimed down the sights, but found it difficult to focus with the distractions ringing in his ears. A third tank shot rang out, landing several feet from him. Using the trajectory of the tank shot, he traced the location of the tank, and fired.

The telltale mechanical whine of the railgun signaled that the projectile fired successfully. As the projectile traced a straight line from the barrel, it left a small hole through the first side of the container, a large hole through the second side, and blasted the cockpit of the tank apart, ultimately going all the way through and flying off into the dark beyond. The horrendously loud clang and screams that followed put a momentary pause in the enemy gunfire. The ceasefire was short-lived, however, as not ten seconds later, they were under fire again.

During the pause, Rufus, Prance, Felix and Bjorn glanced over to him.  
"Help me up," Kai choked out, spitting more blood onto the snow. Bjorn and Felix sprinted over and picked him back on his feet. They carried him back, before leaning him against the shipping container. "Where's Leora?"  
"She ran out."  
"Idiot!" he shouted, shambling to the edge and looking around the corner. Leora was in front of the remnants of the tank, breathing heavily, seemingly unconscious. "Alright—who wants to be a hero?"  
No one volunteered.  
"So be it. Felix, I need you to fetch her."  
"How am I supposed to reach her? They have the container flanked; I'll never make it around without getting shot!"  
Kai thrust his hand into the hole in the container, dragged his gauntlet down the side, and pried open an entrance.  
"Get her back here."  
Felix slowly nodded, and pounced through the hole; several seconds later, he returned, Leora over his shoulders.  
"Make a run for the fence," Kai ordered. "Get as far as you can, and hit the ground."  
"What are you planning?"  
Kai removed a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and lobbed it over the container; a second grenade was tossed in the path between them and the fence.  
"Run!"  
They broke into a sprint; the first grenade exploded in a massive blast, and the second burst into smoke that obscured the trail. The party weaved through the blind gunfire, ultimately coming to the fence; Kai pulled it open, and ushered the rest through, before ultimately following them out.

They made it several hundred meters, before Kai withdrew a small device and pressed the button on the top. Half a second later, a large blast sent fragments of the hangar flying. The six of them hit the ground until the light from the blast died. Everything fell quiet.  
"What was that?" Prance asked, after several moments of lying still.  
"I attached a trigger… when I desynchronized the timing mechanism…" Kai panted.  
"How are you alive, if you don't mind me asking?" Rufus inquired.  
"Heavy plates. How's Leora?"  
Felix checked on her condition.  
"She's alive. She took a bullet to her shoulder, but her vest stopped it."  
"Stupid. Stupid, stupid cat. She's lucky to be alive." They lay silently for a little while longer, before Kai slowly stood. "We need to get back."  
"How?"  
Kai withdrew a syringe from his belt and jabbed himself with it, uttering a pained grunt.  
"I'll get a truck."

He stood, and shambled back to the base, slowly picking up pace. The rest of his party, save for Leora, sat upright and watched from a distance. Half an hour later, he returned in a small humvee, soaked in blood.  
"That's not… your blood, is it?" Rufus asked. He responded by exiting and cracking his neck.  
"Get in. Felix, can you drive?"  
"What did you do in there?!"  
"I killed everyone in my way. Can you drive?"  
"Yeah, I think I can," the snow leopard responded.  
"Good. Let's go."  
The six entered the vehicle, and set off.

The entire drive back, Kai sat as quiet as he could, eyes closed; he could hardly differentiate their discussion from the idle noise in his head, and could hardly focus on any one topic. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt someone shaking him. He opened his eyes to find Felix gently grabbing his attention.  
"Sir!"  
"What is it?"  
"We've arrived. What's wrong?"  
"Nothing. No one else is hurt?"  
"Leora's bruised, but she should be fine. Other than her, no."  
"Drop her off at the medical quarters." Kai took a deep breath. "The biggest threat is out of the way. Eat up. Relax. You deserve it."  
Felix nodded; they shambled up the mountain path, slower than ever before. The five mammals took the elevator, while Kai took his traditional route, delaying his jump for several minutes as he attempted in vain to collect his thoughts. At the bottom, he found Sirius waiting for him.  
"You look like hell, what happened?" he inquired. Kai ignored him, and shambled past. "What's wrong?!"  
Kai entered the medical quarters, ignoring everyone who attempted to get his attention, and fished out several shots, administering them to himself.

Sirius shook him, calling his name.  
"What is it, Sirius?"  
"Why haven't you answered me?! What's wrong with you?"  
"I took a hit."  
"Wha—where? How serious?"  
"Not too bad, but I must have hit my head when I landed."  
"Landed?"  
"He was hit by a tank shell," Bjorn supplemented, carrying Leora into the room.  
"Set her down on the bed," Kai commanded. "And get her out of that vest."  
"Don't just ignore me!" Sirius shouted. Kai continued to leave him in the dark while he tended to Leora. As he began unbuttoning her bulletproof jacket, she grabbed his wrist in a vice grip.  
"No one undresses me, but me," she hissed, before opening her eyes and seeing who it was. "You're alive!"  
"And _you_ are a fool. Running into the fray like that is, perhaps, the dumbest thing you've ever done."  
"Hey, I'm still alive."  
"You have Felix to thank for that. He ran in after you."  
Leora looked over to Felix; he nodded.  
"PROCYON!" Sirius roared.  
Kai scratched him at the neck until he collapsed.  
"I want everyone who isn't injured out of this room," Kai ordered. "And take the senator with you."  
Bjorn took Sirius in his arms, and walked out with the rest of his party.

He continued to ignore all attempts to hail his attention, until Leora waved her paw in front of his eyes.  
"Why are you ignoring everyone?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"  
"I can't tell if someone's trying to get my attention, or if I'm imagining it."  
She sat up.  
"Meaning?"  
"Are you okay?" Kai asked, dodging her question.  
"I mean… I'll be sore tomorrow, but what did you mean by that last statement?"  
He sighed.  
"It's not too important. Lie down, rest for a while."

He walked down the length of the room to a small shelf of medical texts, pulled one seemingly at random, and began flipping the pages while quickly pacing back and forth.  
"What's he doing?" Nick asked, having just walked into the room.  
"I'm not sure," Leora replied. "He's been acting strange lately."  
"He's always acting strange."  
"Yeah, but he never straight up ignored us before."  
"You have any idea why?"  
"Well, he got hit by a tank shell, but—"  
"A tank shell? And he's not dead?"  
"Well…" She looked down to see that his pacing had sped up. "I'll be right back."  
She got up from the bed and walked down to join him. Again, he ignored her calls to him, until she stood in the way of his pacing.  
"I'm very busy, so unless this is urgent, please give me some time," he spoke.  
"I'm worried about you."  
"That's a waste. I'll live."  
She looked at the book he was reading, before craning her neck and lifting one end to read the cover.  
" _Advanced Cybernetics and Bionics_?" she enunciated. "Why?"  
"I have a suspicion." He flipped several more pages, before stopping and pointing on the page. "Right there."  
"'Logic Control Unit'?" she read. "What's that?"  
"Beneath it, under warnings and side effects. It's exactly what I was looking for."  
"I'm not following."  
He looked at her, then to the page, and back at her again.  
"Show me your paws."  
"Why?" She held them out as he inspected them.  
"Steady?"  
"Well, yeah."  
"Good. Follow me."  
He led her into one of several side rooms. As soon as she saw the interior, she instantly began to panic.  
"Why did you take me into an operating room?"  
"Wash your paws," he ordered, pointing to the sink. She complied, but continued to express her concerns.  
"What are you planning?" By the time she dried her paws, she turned around to see that Kai had already set up surgical implements, and was in the process of shaving the back of his head. "Oh fuck, not brain surgery."  
"Relax. It's easy, I'll—"  
"You know, in the world of complexity, brain surgery is right around rocket science."  
"Rocket science is fairly easy in all honesty, but this is one of the easier things you'll ever do. If you can cut in a straight line, you'll do fine." He took a marker and drew several lines at the base of his neck, before pulling down a large camera from the ceiling over the surgical table. He flipped a few switches, and the video feed projected down on the wall in front of the bed. Satisfied with the setup, he handed her a scalpel and assumed a prone position on the steel bed.  
"Oh God. What am I doing?" she questioned, standing idly.  
"Cut along the lines I drew."  
"What if I cut too deep?"  
"I set that self-limiting scalpel that I set myself, it's practically impossible to cut too deep. If anything, you should worry about cutting too shallow."  
"Why's that?"  
"It's extremely painful."  
"Wait, wait, wait—you didn't take painkillers?!"  
"They don't work anyways. You have two cuts to make, base of the skull. Don't worry about anything else."  
She brought the knife close, and hesitated.  
"Today, please."  
She pressed the scalpel and dragged along the black marker; she felt him tense up, but he remained otherwise silent.  
"Shouldn't I be wearing gloves?" she questioned.  
"I don't have any that would fit, and sterility isn't a problem."  
"Yeah, but…" She trailed off, before shaking her head.  
"Fold the cut back."  
She began to reach in.  
"Forceps, please."  
"Right." She took the tweezers from the set of implements, and opened the cuts up. "What the…"  
"Don't get distracted. Take the cutters. Do you see the small chip?"  
She pointed to something with the implement.  
"Lower," Kai instructed. She pointed to a second component. "That one."  
"What's wrong with the wires?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Don't you have video? Can't you see it?" She looked up. "Oh, low resolution. Of course."  
"What's wrong with them?" he asked again, more urgently.  
"They're corroded to hell, one of them is broken along the middle."  
"Lovely; they're supposed to be made of gold, how did they corrode?" he muttered.  
"I mean, they've been in there for what, two and a half thousand years? Why are you asking me?"  
"The rest of them are almost certainly gold, and they're holding up just fine; it's clearly not the length of time."  
"Well then, if I had to wager a guess, I'd say cheap manufacturing."  
"Evidently. At least we can be certain that we've found the problem. I want you to cut the wires, starting at the bottom right, to the top right."  
She snipped the thin wires up the length of the chip; with every cut, he uttered a very quiet 'ow'.  
"What next?"  
"Now the wires on the left side, but skip the sixth from the bottom."  
"Why?"  
"It'll kill me."  
She carefully snipped the wires, skipping the sixth one.  
"Now?" she asked again.  
"Cut the last one," he instructed. After she made the snip, she looked expectantly towards him. "Take the forceps, and slowly remove the wires. Take care not to break them or leave anything behind."  
As she removed them one by one, he clenched his fist and hissed in pain.  
"Now," he continued, "Take the chip with the forceps, and pull straight away with constant force. Give me a countdown."  
Leora carefully slid the forceps under the chip, and grabbed it.  
"I'm gonna pull on the count of three. One. Two. Three!" She began pulling, and he yelled, struggling to hold still. With one last tug, she wrested it free; he died down, now only breathing heavily. "You alright?"  
"Been better. Close it back up."  
She folded the skin back over, and held it tight while searching among the implements.  
"Where are the sutures?" she asked.  
"Use the medical glue."  
"How?"  
"Generous dab under the skin, and a seam along the cuts."  
She fixed the wound and took a seat in the corner chair.  
"So, what the hell did I just do?"  
He sat up and gingerly massaged the back of his neck. Soon, he chuckled, before quickly bursting into a hearty laugh.  
"Sir?"  
Kai stood, quickly throwing a few punches and kicks to the air, followed by several jumping jacks.  
"You're okay, right?" she inquired.  
He shambled over and pulled her into a tight embrace, spinning around.  
"Oh shit, I knocked a screw loose, didn't I?" she muttered, upset.  
"No, I'm good." He held her up at arms length; she was less than pleased, limbs dangling limply.  
"You can put me down now. I have some questions that I want answered."  
He set her back down.  
"How good it feels to have a conscience again!" he stated.  
"Meaning?"  
"Previously, it was silent. Now, I finally have that little voice working right from wrong again." He took a deep breath. "No matter. You had questions?"  
"First, why was the procedure so easy? What did you just make me do?"  
"It was designed for field medics."  
"Field medicine takes an enormous amount of training and effort."  
"Yes, but our field medicine stopped progressing at the end of the twenty-first century. Field medics were nowhere near the level of actual hospitals. It was like the dark ages in a medic's tent."  
"So brain surgery is a field procedure now?"  
"That chip has to be replaceable. Normally, I was supposed to be knocked out, but it's kind of hard to do with me."  
"What qualifies as regular medicine, then?"  
"Well, there's almost nothing we couldn't cure. Cancer was easily fixed, heart disease as well."  
"What about dementia?" she inquired, eyes twinkling with hope.  
Kai sighed.  
"I know they mean a lot to you, but I don't know. You'll hate hearing this almost as much as I hate saying it, but I think they're beyond even my medicine."  
She looked down.  
"I'm sorry."  
"It's not your fault. So, that was the why. Tell me the what. What did I just do?"  
"Long story short: I've been feeling crazy. You just fixed that."  
"Crazy how?"  
"I've been tormented by everything, hearing voices… The funny thing is, I had no clue why until I got hit by the tank shell."  
"Why?"  
"It took me a bit, but I recalled the warnings for the LCU: 'Head trauma can damage unit', 'Blood loss can cause undefined behavior', and 'Shock can cause malfunctions' were the biggest three."  
"And your six mile dives didn't set it off?"  
"I wasn't landing on my head, but I suspect it might have something to do with it."  
"Fair enough. Who's it made for?"  
"Soldiers, mostly."  
"I can't imagine head trauma or blood loss being rare in that profession."  
"It was a chance in a million, but seeing how long-lived I am, and how corroded it was, it was almost a certainty."  
"What does it do?"  
"Several things. It was designed to cut out conscious thought. It makes killing easier, but the side effect of no conscience is no emotions."  
"You showed a wide variety of emotions, though. Namely anger, but there was a softer side."  
"That must have been the chip malfunctioning."  
"So… the only reason you could kill so ruthlessly was because of this?" She held the chip up to the light. "And the reason you prioritized your mission over us?"  
"Well, the second part, yes, but as for killing, I could manage before."  
"Then why would they even bother putting that in you?"  
"It's a long story."  
"I'm sure we have time."  
"Where to start…"

He started putting away the medical instruments.  
"A long time ago, when the world was much greener, I ruled over the largest free army in the world. Four wars in which I had fought and won. By the end of the third, I had owned nearly a third of the world as well. I possessed endless legions under my command. Also under my command were my most trusted lieutenants: among them, Vitya and Ana."  
"Vitya, as in Vitya the Wise?"  
"One and the same."  
"And this Ana?"  
"At first, she was nothing more than a loyal officer. But, as time went on, we grew closer. She insisted on being on the war front with me. In the end, the final siege of the war was devastating. We lost millions, but led our troops to the victory. By the time I had returned, I was summoned to the medical tent. Inside, Vitya and Ana were wounded; struck by a cobalt mortar. He had tackled her to avoid the bulk of the blast, but it was still grievous. Naturally, there was only one surgical kit."  
"Why didn't they share the kit? Field surgeons often have to share tools."  
"Vitya was like me; Ana was not."  
"Meaning?"  
"A monster in every sense of the word, save for his kindness. Our blood is toxic to anyone else; our wounds heal almost too fast to operate. Even now, the incisions you made have healed." He turned around to showcase the surgical cuts; they had nearly sealed. "Long story short, they couldn't do it."  
"What happened?"  
"Vitya advised me to choose her. So, I did. The war ended, and Vitya perished. His ashes were scattered over the Azure Sea."  
"I'm sorry."  
"Let the past stay in the past. Ana and I traveled the world during the peace. The vineyards of France, the Alaskan wilds… those were the good days."  
"Then?"  
"No good thing lasts forever. She invited me to her hometown in Northern Russia. I was finishing up business in the West, and was supposed to land two days after she did." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I arrived to find that she was struck and killed by a drunk."  
Leora gasped, covering her mouth.  
"They never found who, but I have my suspicions that the Master didn't see us in his plan. Naturally, I grieved. For a long time, I isolated myself. He decided that three month was long enough, and that he wanted another war; he couldn't do it without his best general. He chose to have that implanted." Kai pointed to the device in Leora's paw. "The grieving stopped, along with most other things. I commanded the next war with ruthless efficiency. We won in less than two months."  
"Then what?"  
"The Master realized that things were quickly going downhill. He pulled me from active duty to be his personal bodyguard. We absconded here, just the two of us in a bunker designed for at least ten thousand. Sure enough, his prediction was right. The bombs started flying, and the last war ended in under an hour."  
"I…"  
"Don't bother feeling sorry for me. It's all my fault, anyways." He pulled off a feeble grin. "Next question?"  
"It's a lot to take in… Alright, what were the rest of those chips and circuitry?"  
"Processors, recall modules, the works. Pretty standard for a commander."  
"So… you've got a computer in there, then?"  
"Yes."  
"How many gigahertz?"  
"It's not accurate to measure in that regard. Your computers rely on a few instructions per cycle, but run a billion cycles per second to make up for it. Organic computing relies on thousands of simultaneous calculations; each 'processor', so to speak, can only pull off a few cycles per second, but can get a lot done in each one. Quantum computing relies on prediction, so when you mix the two…"  
"So you're a supercomputer?"  
"I'd reckon more powerful than your best computers."  
"Would that make you the best computer?"  
"Not by a long shot.  
"Then what were your best computers like?"  
"They took extremely intelligent people, bred specifically for this one purpose, and outfitted them with prime components. Not an inch of their body was bare; it was actually sightly disconcerting to watch them walk around, their skin glowing a dull blue; I digress. They connected five such people to a central processor—"  
"So they were used just for processing?"  
"Yep. When they weren't contributing to the war effort, they were extremely boring. Difficult to hold a conversation with."  
"You met them?"  
Kai scoffed.  
"I was one of the most important people to have ever existed. Of course I met them. All five, in fact."  
"There were only five? Why not more?"  
"The thing is… it was relatively new technology: it only came out around ten years before the end of the world. There wasn't any real purpose for more than five, and they were ridiculously expensive to create."  
"What could they do?"  
"They could very quickly figure out the position and general direction of every particle in a system; using that, they could have a rough prediction hammered out for what would happen."  
"Meaning?"  
"Assuming a sealed room, they could predict the future several years in advance."  
"How could you ever lose a war with them in charge? How did the world end?"  
"For starters, they weren't in charge. More importantly, the world is a chaotic place. No amount of simulation can ever perfectly predict more than a day ahead. Unfortunately, by the time they saw what would happen for sure, there was nothing anyone could do."  
"If this 'Master' saw it coming from miles away, why couldn't they?"  
"They lost all abstraction of thought; they could only see the exact truth in things. Uncertainties didn't compute for them. Pure mathematical machines is all that they were."  
"If I may, one more question?"  
"Go right ahead."  
"What was that dull gray metal in your neck?"  
"You mean my spine?"  
"That was your spine?"  
"All of my bones look like that. How else do you think I can jump six miles?"  
"Or tear Felix a new one. How did they get those into you?"  
"They grafted alloy onto our bones as a nucleation point, and then gave an IV drip of all sorts of ions and solutions to build on top of that."  
"I'm guessing that's what makes you heavy."  
"You'd be mostly correct. The artificial muscles tag on another hundred pounds."  
"Is there anything in you that's still real? Stock, I mean."  
He stroked his chin in thought.  
"Good question. I don't really know."  
"If you don't know, then who does?"  
"It's lost to the ages now, I suppose."  
Leora's stomach rumbled audibly.  
"Hungry?" Kai asked.  
"How'd you guess?" she retorted sarcastically.  
"I could see it in your eyes. Come, let's go."

They returned to the medical quarters, and had nearly made it out into the hall, before Nick stopped them.  
"How much longer does Carrots need to be on life support?" he asked.  
"Well, that depends," Kai responded, walking over and hitting several buttons on the machine. "It looks like the viral and bacterial load of her blood is nearly zero, and it's clotting nicely. I suppose I can unhook her."  
"Could you?"  
Kai nodded, and began disconnecting the machine from her.  
"You're fairly quiet, madam," he observed. "Something wrong?"  
"Well, it's just… what do we do, now?" she asked.  
"If you want, I can return you to the city."  
"And if we want to stay?"  
"Carrots, are you crazy?" Nick hissed. "Why would we want to stay?"  
"Look at this place, it's wonderful!"  
"Bleak and depressing, more like."  
"You're welcome to stay as long as you like," Kai assured, smiling. "Now, I imagine you're hungry. Care to join us?"  
"Love to!" Judy cheerfully remarked, slowly getting up with Nick's assistance.  
"What about me?" Grace shouted from further down the room.  
"I can get you a wheelchair, if you would like. You still need that IV."  
"Can I walk?"  
"I would rather you didn't."  
"Well, if it gets me out of this godforsaken bed, I'll take the wheelchair."  
Kai dragged the wheelchair over, sat Grace in it, and hung her IV on the attached rack. Together, the five of them traveled to the dining hall, where Sirius was frantically pacing.  
"You!" he shouted, as soon as he noticed Kai enter. "You have a lot of explaining to do!"  
Kai walked up and gingerly scratched him on the neck; Sirius attempted to shy away, but proved no match for the man's prowess. He fell on the floor once again.  
"What is that you keep doing to him?" Felix asked.  
"Canines tend to respond well to this," Kai stated, showing Sirius no mercy.  
"Really?" Rufus inquired, showing interest.  
"What about felines?" Felix asked.  
"Well, I'm not sure. In my past experience, petting a cat tends to get me clawed up."  
"I promise I won't claw you up," Leora volunteered, stepping forward.  
"You totally clawed his face back in—" Rufus began.  
"And I'm about to claw a lot more than just your face if you don't zip it."  
He fell silent; Kai reached around and scratched the back of Leora's neck, and she slumped over onto him.  
"Hey, my turn," Rufus stated, lifting her off and setting her gingerly on the floor. Kai shrugged and, too, floored Rufus with his gentle scratching.  
"You know, this is funny. I don't remember ever accruing this much positive attention since… ever, I think. It's great," Kai stated, sitting down and alternating between Sirius, Rufus, and Leora.  
"I'd hate to ruin the fun," Grace piped up, "But all of the important work is done, right?"  
"Well, the bomb is no more, but you do bring up a good point." He stood and helped the others up. "Remember when I joked about you busting out Bellwether from prison as your first assignment?"  
"Yeah, why?" Prance inquired.  
"Well, it looks like you'll end up doing it after all."  
"Bellwether, are you serious?" Felix protested.  
"Well, not her, but you get to pull off a prison heist nonetheless."  
"This wouldn't have anything to do with half the Court being locked up, would it?" Sirius inquired.  
"Exactly. I'll leave you all to share a meal. I need to write out a plan."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have a lot of shit still left to finish up, so I'm afraid I'll go without posting for a while. Another big thanks to Jackofallfables for giving this chapter a read.**

 **While writing this, I had the hardest time; I figure this is either the chapter that makes it or breaks it, and I really hope it doesn't break it. If it broke the story, let me know why. Speaking of this chapter, the title was just something I made up; no special significance.**

 **All of the reviews are heartwarming, and I got a really silly one, to boot:  
** leora chapter 46 . Nov 13  
are you ever gonna put garret/kai together?  
 **The answer is yes, since they're already the same person. Damn, I'm fast to problem solve!**

 **Finally, I'm eternally grateful for xPrimalHunterx for shipping in loads of fun facts. He's a bona fide hero.**

* * *

Fun Fact #45: Shakespeare just made up the name "Jessica" for his play Merchant of Venice.

Fun Fact #46: It rains diamonds on Jupiter and Saturn.


	49. Chapter XXXXIII: Jailbreak

Kai was formulating a plan in his study, when the door was thrown open. He casually turned to find that Leora and the others were entering and making themselves at home.  
"Have you worked out a plan?" Felix asked.  
"I trusted that evolution would have given you the means to _knock_ on a door before you entered, but I suppose I was wrong." He stood and put a few books back on the shelf. "Is there anything I can do for you?"  
"Well, I was hoping you would let us call it quits for the day," Prance inquired.  
"Meaning?"  
"It's getting late, and I presume that you won't have us go out in the next couple of hours. Could we get shown some beds?"  
"Felix knows where they are, he can show you. Oh, and Felix? Show the rabbit and the fox their rooms, as well."  
"Really?" Rufus responded with surprise.  
"Were you expecting a different answer?"  
"Well, it's just that… usually you're pretty unreasonable."  
"Strict, too," Bjorn added on.  
"You have Leora to thank for that," Kai responded, taking a different set of books from the shelf.  
"Why?"  
"Call it amateur brain surgery," Leora supplemented.  
Felix scoffed.  
"Let's go." He exited and motioned for them to follow; only Leora remained.  
"And I suppose that you have some other business?"  
"How can you guess? Is it because I'm still here?" She remarked sarcastically.  
"No, your stupid grin."  
"You caught me. Anyways, I know you already have a plan."  
"Smart."  
"The question is, why wait? I don't think the prison could be any less guarded right now."  
"Correct, but listen: if we go tomorrow morning, you five can secure the barge."  
"Barge?"  
"The prison, being on an island, has a large capacity boat for emergencies, and for large transfers of prisoners."  
"So why are we securing this boat?"  
"Simple: I'll sneak in, and masquerade as the warden. I'll order a fire drill for the maximum security block, and hopefully, if everything goes well, we'll have everyone we need on that boat in under fifteen minutes."  
"And after we get off? I can't imagine there are any less than three hundred in maximum security."  
"Five-hundred and sixty two. After we get out, I don't particularly care what happens to most of them."  
"You're busting out the entire maximum security block for no reason?"  
"Well, I misspoke; I really don't want any of them to perish, particularly the three hundred most important ones. Unfortunately, I can't think of any way to shepherd them around. I'm afraid most of them will have to be on their own."  
"And who won't?"  
"A certain vixen and bear come to mind."  
"Why?"  
"You see, people value kindness very much. They alone showed me—well, that's not entirely accurate, either, since you know how Arcturus and I used to get along…"  
She nodded understandingly.  
"But, in any case, he and Regulus were among my closest allies—"  
"What about me?" Sirius uttered, also strolling in.  
"Where did you come from?"  
"I was eavesdropping. I saw the rest of them walk this way, and I was curious as to what they were doing..." He paused, and sniffed at the air. "Do you smell that?"  
"You just have a knack for showing up when no one expects it," Kai stated.  
"Or wants it," Leora supplemented.  
Sirius' face grew into an obnoxious grin.  
"I get what's going on. Oh, did I upset the itty bitty kitty cat?" Sirius mocked. "Perhaps detracting from your moment?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about," she hissed.  
"You don't? Perhaps he does. Tell me Procyon, surely you can't be oblivious to her advances?"  
"Advances? Sirius, don't be ridiculous. She is merely being helpful, inquisitive."  
"Oh, come on, the room smells like a leopard buffet! You can't be this thick!"  
"You'd better back off, you son of a bitch," Leora muttered.  
"Wow, don't go insulting my mother. See, Procyon, now she's getting defensive over you; she thinks she owns you already, isn't that—hey!"  
She pounced him and raised a claw to strike.  
"Enough!" Kai shouted, grabbing her by the scruff and throwing her to the door. "If you can't respect my allies, perhaps you don't deserve to be among them. Go to bed. We'll talk tomorrow."  
She muttered incoherently, trying to formulate her thoughts, but he shut the door.

"Harsh," Sirius muttered, dusting himself off.  
"I have half a mind to throw you out, too."  
"Me? Why?!"  
"You came in and pissed her off."  
"You should see the way she looks at you."  
"What she does on her own time is her own business. Not yours."  
"She's trying to make it _your_ business, though."  
"Why are you concerning yourself with anything she does?"  
"I don't want to lose you, Procyon."  
Kai burst into laughter.  
"I think I'll outlive you, in any case. Your fears are misplaced."  
"You may be strong in body, but no matter how strong-willed you are, love changes mammals."  
"Well, clearly; you're already acting differently since you met Grace. I daresay you've even become more responsible."  
"Oh, har-har."  
"In any case, you aren't one to lecture me about love and all its semantics."  
"And what would you know about love?"  
"Well, for starters, loss hurts."  
"Which is precisely why I would advise against this venture."  
"What, you think she'll be killed?"  
"No, you're missing the point: when she grows ten years older, what will happen to you?"  
"I'll also grow ten years older."  
"No, you'll _get_ ten years older. You're done growing, perhaps forever."  
"Physically, yes, but emotionally, I'm catching up for over two and a half thousand years of nothing."  
"Alright: when she grows sixty years older, what will happen to you?"  
"I'll _get_ sixty years older, myself."  
"And when she grows old and dies, what will happen to you?"  
"If you're not arguing for your sake, and you're not arguing for her sake, I fail to see why you would argue for mine. She's younger than you, it's not like you'll live long enough to see what happens."  
"You're still missing the point."  
"By your logic, I should abandon you as well, since you'll also grow old and die."  
"I…" Sirius hesitated, before shaking his head and turning around. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
As he left, he bumped into Felix, who was attempting to enter.  
"It's just a party here, isn't it?" Kai muttered.  
"What did you do?" Felix questioned.  
"Why do you ask?"  
"I was minding my own business, when Leora burst in my room, pissed as hell. She refuses to explain why, she just clings to me. Why?"  
"Ask the senator. Speaking of Leora, where is she?"  
"Presumably still in my room."  
Kai sighed.  
"I should go talk to her."  
"Yeah, I can't exactly sleep with her in there."  
Kai stood and followed Felix back to the living quarters, traveling slightly down the hall to the room Felix had claimed for himself. Inside, Leora was lying on the bed, facing away from the door.  
"Leora," Kai called. She turned to look at him; the expression on her face was nothing short of fury. "It looks like we need to talk. Come."  
She turned back over. He rolled his eyes, walked over, and picked her up.  
"Let's go."

He walked out and traveled back to his study, setting her down in a chair.  
"Now, what's wrong?" he asked.  
"It's nothing," she seethed quietly, avoiding his gaze.  
"You wouldn't bother Felix over nothing."  
She sighed.  
"It's that stupid senator. He loves to ruin my good mood."  
"Oh, believe me: you're not the only one whose mood he loves ruining."  
She faced him and smiled, before turning away again.  
"What's on your mind?" he asked.  
"I… can I ask you a question?"  
"Yes?"  
"What am I, really?"  
"You're a leopard. A big cat with spots," he quipped humorously.  
"You know what I mean. What am I, to you?"  
Kai sighed, crouched down, and put a hand on her shoulder.  
"This is going to sound like I'm dodging the question, but this isn't a good time."  
"I knew you—"  
"Leora, focus. Tomorrow morning, we have to break into a maximum security prison, unnoticed, to steal over five-hundred prisoners. If you distract yourself, and if you distract me, we won't be able to do that. When we get back, I'll think of an answer to that question, but not now."  
"The second we get back, will you answer me?"  
"I promise."  
She quickly jumped up and pulled him into a hug.  
"How can I know you're telling the truth?" she whispered.  
"Have I ever lied to you?"  
She smiled again, and hugged him tighter.  
"Now," he continued, "You need to sleep."  
"Can I…" She pointed to the bed in the corner. Kai rolled his eyes.  
"Sure thing. Just… don't shed all over it."  
"Why would I shed?"  
"Winter coat? Everyone else seems to be getting theirs."  
"Leopards don't get winter coats."  
"If you insist."  
She lightly punched him on the shoulder, before walking over to the bed, curling on top, and purring softly.  
"If you wish, I can get you a ball of yarn to play with," Kai crooned.  
"Real funny."  
"Hmm. Well, I'll be back soon," he spoke, getting up and heading for the door. "Don't wait up."  
"Where are you going?"  
"I need to prepare for tomorrow. That means weaponry, armor, and scoping out the area."  
"Speaking of area, how are we going to get there?"  
"I'll steal a boat."  
"Sounds adventurous."  
"I try to be interesting." He left, and she quickly fell asleep.

* * *

 **Morning**

At the crack of dawn, Kai made rounds to wake his crew. They took a large chunk of time getting ready, and once he had them fed and assembled, he began his briefing.  
"Now, your mission is relatively simple. As you already know, we are going to break into Zootopia Penitentiary. Your task is relatively simple: I've already taken the liberty of stealing a speedboat. We will approach the island via its dock; when we arrive, you are to secure the prison barge by any means necessary. Once you have accomplished this, you are to hold position and wait for my return."  
"Where are you going?" Felix asked.  
"I'm breaking into the complex. I'll find the warden, take him out of commission, and impersonate him. Once I have everything all set, I'll call for a fire drill for the lowest detention level. Ideally, we'll make it without a hitch."  
"And non-ideally?"  
"They only carry tranquilizer rifles; I'll be able to get each of you out. Due to the nature of my mission, I'll have to pack light; perhaps a handgun, at most."  
"What's with the rifle on your back?" Bjorn asked.  
"I'm not taking it past our landing. You, on the other hand, will have full access to the armory." He motioned to the room next to them. "With that, I give you free reign. Do note, about half of the weapons there are in a state of disarray. You have thirty minutes; body armor is on the far left. Come back when you're ready."

They nodded their approval, and began walking through the armory. While they were selecting their armaments of choice, Kai took a stroll to the medical quarters. There, he found Sirius in the far back, browsing the medical reference texts.  
"Good morning," Kai stated, approaching the pacing wolf.  
"Oh, hi," Sirius responded, not looking up from the page.  
"It seems too early for you to be up and about; reading up on medicine, no less. What's wrong?"  
"The arctic fox opened his eyes, claims he can't see."  
"You mean he's awake and talking, and you didn't get me?!" Kai retorted, angry.  
"I'm looking at blindness and its causes."  
Kai looked at the page, before taking the book from Sirius and shelving it.  
"Hey, I was reading that!"  
"Come with me."  
He dragged the wolf to the fox's bed; along the way, Grace burst out laughing.  
"I told you to get him, Ian!" she jeered.  
They stopped at the fox's bed; Kai took a flashlight from the wall and shined it in each of the fox's eyes. The pupils contracted, indicating no physical damage.  
"Tell me your name," Kai asked.  
"Can't… can't see," the fox murmured.  
"So I've heard. Do you know what year it is?"  
"Two-thousand and eighteen?"  
"Your name?"  
The fox stared, deep in thought, before shaking his head.  
"I can't see."  
Kai rolled his eyes.  
"Oh!" the fox suddenly exclaimed. "Where is she?"  
"She? Does 'she' have a name?"  
"Her… her name is… her name… What was her name?"  
"Can you describe her?"  
"A fox, she was a fox just like me, but… A fox."  
"That isn't very helpful," Sirius spoke.  
"Does the name 'Lyra Karahan' mean anything?" Kai pressed, ignoring the wolf's comments.  
"Ly-Lyra! That was her name!"  
Kai smiled.  
"So, where am I?"  
Kai began chuckling.  
"What's so funny?" Sirius asked.  
"You're alive, Neal. Under-"  
"Neal?" The fox appeared confused. "Who?"  
"Your name?"  
"I… Is it?"  
"How old are you?"  
"I…" He looked sad. "I don't know."  
"Is there _anything_ you can tell me about yourself?"  
The fox looked himself up and down.  
"I mean, I'm white…" He began snickering loudly.  
"Well, the sense of humor is certainly there."  
"Procyon, if he already knows his mate, why would you question him?" Sirius asked.  
"The other rabid arctic fox was a researcher at her facility."  
"But that one died, didn't he?"  
"Supposedly, Neal did, too."  
"Well, it's a good thing you're getting Vega, right?"  
"I only hope she can identify him." He replaced the IV bag, pushed a few medications through the line, and turned to leave.  
"I suppose I should wish you good luck," Sirius stated.  
"We won't need it. I have faith."  
"I sure hope faith is good enough."

Kai exited and returned to the armory; there, he found the group of indecisive mammals, trying nearly everything, still undecided.  
"You have exactly ten minutes to pick out something you like," he shouted. Nearly immediately, they went around and selected their armaments, returning to him.  
"All tranquilizers? Again?" Kai mused.  
"Hey, we're cops, not soldiers," Rufus retorted.  
"Suit yourselves. Let's go."  
He led them to the massive mineshaft, and they took the elevator back to the surface; when he rejoined them sometime later, they appeared annoyed.  
"Why can't you take the elevator like a normal mammal?" Felix inquired. "Make us wait…"  
"If it gets stuck, who's going to get you out?" Kai responded, exiting the lair.  
They looked at each other in disbelief before following him out.

Together, they trekked down the mountainside and along the river quite a ways, before coming to a stop near a tree bordering the wide sea. Tethered to the tree was a sizable watercraft; easily large enough to carry the six of them, and then some.  
"When did you have time to get this?" Prance asked, dumbfounded.  
"A generous 'donation' from the yacht club," Kai answered, producing a sly grin.  
"I'm conflicted," Rufus admitted, stepping aboard. "On one paw, I'm impressed; on the other, I really want to arrest you for theft."  
"Maybe later." He ushered everyone else aboard, steered it into the open waters, and began navigating into the distance. The quiet was maintained until the island was in sight, when the mammals began fidgeting. "Nervous?"  
"Yeah, we're looking at twenty years right now," Felix supplemented.  
"Nothing will happen; they'll never even know you were here," Kai reassured, lowering the speed. When they were roughly a mile from the docks, he retrieved the rifle, before aiming it at the island.  
"We're on a rocking boat, how can you possibly expect to hit anyone?" Rufus inquired, producing a smug grin."  
He fired several silenced rounds, and the rest looked on in wonder as they saw the guards on the towers drop. Satisfied, Kai handed Leora the rifle and resumed their approach.  
"How did you do that?! What if someone finds them!" Prance exclaimed in worry.  
"I've looked up shift changes and the prison's layout. We should be good for an hour, at least. Even if they do a shift change, the sentries are not easily visible."  
"Yeah, but how did you do that?"  
He turned around and produced a vampiric smile, before activating his disguise.

They reached one of the rocky beaches of the island, finding little resistance. Kai quickly hopped out, walking up to the prison wall; once there, he ran his hand along the surface, knocking gently.  
"What are you doing?" Felix asked, walking to stand beside him.  
"If I'm correct, the wall right here leads to the custodial room for the prison's courtyard."  
"Meaning?"  
"Stand back."  
After the snow leopard walked a sizable distance, Kai threw a punch; the thin brick crumbled away at the impact point. After reaching in and tearing away the rest of the wall, he stepped inside.  
"It appears I was correct," he stated.  
"How?" Leora stammered.  
"It's just brick…" Kai muttered in response.  
"Wait, even so, why did the wall break so easily?" Rufus questioned. "Regulation prison wall is a foot of cinderblock, two feet of concrete, and then paving bricks."  
"Only for areas that prisoners are meant to be." He tapped the brick wall, before walking to the interior door. "They cut costs for the other walls."  
Just then, the door was thrust open; a lone prison guard stood in the doorway, weapon drawn. As he raised it to the five mammals, Kai pulled him into a chokehold.  
"You all need to go that way," he spoke, motioning with his head to the left; as his party looked over, they saw a large schooner in the distance. By the time they turned back, they saw the guard on the floor, unconscious. "Secure that vessel, I'll be out shortly."

Before they could protest, he had darted through, closing the door behind him. From there, he walked along the prison courtyard; anyone that could have put up a fight had already been sniped. As he reached the door, he paused; he could hear nothing behind it. He knelt to pick it, and promptly entered. From there, he wandered the halls, carefully incapacitating anyone in his way. Soon, he came to a halt before a door labeled 'Warden'; without knocking, he opened the door and entered. Inside, a very large, stocky timberwolf was scribbling away at paperwork.  
"I thought I made it clear to knock before…" he began, before pausing. "You are neither guard nor prisoner. Who are you?"  
"Mizar, do you really not remember me?"  
"How do you know that name?!" the wolf roared, quickly standing and slamming his glasses onto the desk.  
"You visited me in my imprisonment…" He removed his disguise. "Besides, it would be foolish of me to not keep tabs on the Court."  
"Procyon. I should have guessed." The wolf sat back down. "You know, for a while there, I thought you really died."  
"Let's stop killing time." Kai sat in the chair opposite the wolf. "You must know why I'm here."  
"The rest of the Court."  
"Precisely. Now, there are two ways I can go about it. The first is that you release them."  
"And the second?"  
"I kill you, impersonate you, and do it instead."  
"They'd skin me alive if I released them."  
"You can claim you had no choice. Order a fire drill for the lowest detention blocks."  
"That's your big plan? Where will they go from there?"  
"I'm taking the big boat out back."  
"Lovely."  
"You can pretend you had no idea."  
"How is that going to save me from liability?"  
"I can knock you out. You can play it off however you want."  
"I could, but if I did, I would lose my credibility as a capable warden."  
"You'll get over it."  
"So tell me: why are you giving me a choice?"  
"Why are you surprised? I don't like disposing of Court members."  
"From what I heard, you took Arcturus' protege; what was his name, Denebola?"  
"Yes."  
"I've heard that you beat him, disemboweled him, tore out a few of his organs, and left him to rot and die under the evening sun."  
"Not inaccurate."  
"You're full of shit. Why are you really giving me a choice? I'd wager that, no matter how fit or strong I may be, you could easily bend me into a knot."  
"Call it a change of heart." Kai stood and leaned heavily on the desk. "So, your choice?"  
The wolf sighed, but picked up the intercom. After barking a few orders, he set it back down, shaking his head.  
"I'm done for," he mentioned.  
"You'll be a hero," Kai reassured.  
"Only if you win."  
"Why would I not? Jack has nothing now. His bomb is gone, and the Court is free."  
"He is a resourceful rabbit. If you think he has been defeated, then he has already won."  
The desk phone rang, and the warden answered it. After exchanging a few words and nodding, he set the phone back in its cradle.  
"They want me to oversee the process," he explained.  
"Well," Kai responded, reactivating his disguise, "I'll come along. I would hate for you to double cross me."  
"How do you plan on explaining yourself to them?"  
"Let's say that I'm the city auditor."  
"You really haven't thought this out, have you? The city doesn't have an auditor."  
"Do you honestly think they'll know that?"  
The wolf sighed.  
"Fair enough."

The pair exited, shortly making it to a walkway overlooking the main cell block. In the far end of the room, the elevator was rapidly shipping up the maximum security prisoners, each shackled and cuffed in rows of six, accompanied by guards. As they proceeded, many of them sneered up at the warden. Soon, Kai saw his intended rescuees: a black vixen cuffed to several smaller mammals, and a large grizzly shackled only to two others. The black vixen kept pausing, whereupon two of the guards, a large rhinoceros and a tiger, kept kicking her along in turns.  
"Mizar, who are those guard?" Kai asked.  
"I don't know their names. Why?"  
"Have them come aboard."  
"Any particular reason?"  
"I have a promise to keep."  
"A good old-fashioned beating? Suit yourself."  
Roughly twenty minutes later, all of the prisoners were out in the courtyard; from there, the warden berated the guards on their slow pace, before having the prisoners moved to the docks; he quickly explained that the city hired private security to assist the auditor in his task, to avert the guards' suspicions. There, he instructed the prisoners aboard.  
"All packed and ready, sir," one of the guards eventually spoke to the warden.  
"Very well," the wolf responded. "Our guest and I will oversee the procedure from here on out. I expect you all to return to the upper cell blocks in less than five minutes."  
They saluted and exited; all, save for the rhinoceros and his partner, who boarded the boat at Kai's behest. Eventually, they set sail.

Once they were roughly two miles out, the warden walked off to the helm, leaving the prisoners, the two guards, Felix, Rufus, and Kai standing on the surface deck. For nearly the duration of the ride up until then, the black vixen kept struggling against her bonds, and the guards kept reprimanding her. Kai walked up and crouched before her.  
"You know you can't possibly break free, please, spare yourself the trouble and pain," he pleaded. "You'll be out sooner than you—"  
She spit in his face; immediately, the rhino slugged her across hers, and she nearly fell out of her chair. When she sat back up, she spat blood onto the floor.  
"Tell me," Kai continued, wiping his face clean. "Are they abusing you? I couldn't help but notice that you're covered in bruises."  
She looked to them, and shook her head.  
"Care to explain?" he asked of the rhino.  
"It's like she was born to defy authority. All she does is lash out at every opportunity. We have no choice but to use force."  
"I can tell you're lying. You know, I thought I made a certain promise." He turned back to the vixen and gently lifted her chin up; she tried to snap at his fingers, but he carefully avoided her jaws. "Tell me, Regulus, can you recall that promise?"  
Her eyes instantly lit up, as did those of the prisoners around her. She looked once more at the guard, before staring back into Kai's eyes.  
"The promise I made, the last time we spoke. What was it?"  
"You warned the rhino, I didn't exactly hear what you said, but I know it was a warning."  
The two guards took a step back, eyes wide with shock.  
"She's lying!" they accused.  
"No, she's telling the truth. I was there." He slowly began his approach, and they slowly backed away. "Do _you_ remember what I promised?"  
The guard remained silent.  
"I promised that, should you lay so much as a finger on her, I would kill you."  
The guard breathed heavily, attempting to shy away more, but failing as his back hit the wall. In the blink of an eye, Kai thrust his right hand, gauntlet and all, into the rhino's chest; the tiger instantly leaped away to the other side of the deck, unwilling to confront an adversary that would challenge a rhino, let alone completely impale one with no effort. As Kai rotated his arm, the guard groaned and shrieked in protest.  
"I seem to recall saying that I would rip your heart out and show it to you, so that you could watch as it beat its last."  
The rhino gasped for air, both unwilling and unable to reply.  
"Do you know how easy it is to rip out a heart? No? Well, perhaps I can show you. This is your inferior vena cava."  
He sharply twisted his hand, and the rhino yelled once more.  
"Now, your superior vena cava."  
Another sharp twist, followed by more screaming.  
"Finally—" With one more twist, Kai tore the organ from the guard's chest; the guard slowly slid down the wall, blood quickly pooling beneath him as he fell to the floor. "Your aorta. The rest tears easily."  
Unceremoniously, Kai impaled the heart on the rhino's horn, kicking him over in the process.  
"Now my promise is fulfilled: you get to watch yourself die." He stared momentarily at the gasping beast, sparing as light chuckle, before turning his attention to the tiger. "Now, to deal with you. Tell me, do you want your heart torn out as well, or would you rather drown?"  
Without answering, the tiger jumped overboard.  
"Smart," Kai commented. As he turned to face his teammates, he found only shock and horror on their faces. He waited for a response, but they could not think of words to adequately describe their feelings. Instead, he walked back to the vixen, wiping his hands on one of the emergency overboard towels. When he reached her, he shattered the chains securing her, and gently patted her on the head. As he turned to leave, she jumped up and hugged him, breaking down into tears.

The warden returned to see the commotion, and became irate very quickly.  
"You just killed one of my guards! And where's the other!"  
"Overboard," Kai answered nonchalantly.  
"Why?! A tiger will die of hypothermia this time of year, long before he'll make it anywhere!"  
"They were abusing her. Would you have done any different?"  
"Yes! Everyone deserves a trial!"  
"And what of us?" one of the prisoners shouted. "Where was my trial? Our trials?!"  
"I—I…" The warden fell silent very quickly.  
"Yeah, that's what I thought," a second one responded. "While you're at it, cut the rest of us loose."  
"That's up to your savior. I will have no part in this."  
They all looked expectantly to Kai.  
"When we arrive," he answered. Immediately, all that he could hear were their protests.  
"How come you set her free!" someone shouted.  
"What are you going to do to us?!" another roared.  
"He's going to kill us!" Everyone started to panic.  
"Silence!" Kai commanded; nothing changed. "QUIET!"  
They all fell still.  
"If anyone makes a noise before I finish, they'll end up like that guy." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the rhino. "Now, surely you all want to know what will happen to you?"  
They stared silently.  
"Good. I am Procyon. When we land, anyone who knows me and cares enough to make a difference, stand off to the side. Everyone else is free to leave. Any questions?"  
After a long time, once they were sure they wouldn't be interrupting him, someone spoke up.  
"Where are you taking us?"  
"Oh, not far from the city," Kai responded.  
"Why are you freeing us?" someone else inquired.  
"Only a handful of you actually interest me. The rest of you can consider yourselves lucky."  
"Three-hundred is a handful?"  
"No, significantly less than three-hundred is a handful." Many Court members looked away.

After a long time, they pulled to a small, abandoned fishing dock. There, Kai instructed his team to assist the prisoners in disembarking. One by one, the passengers had their bindings removed, and exited; many stood to the side, and many ran away the minute they were off of the ship. The process was soon interrupted when Rufus stopped one of the prisoners.  
"Why are we not moving along?" Kai questioned.  
"Do we have to let her go?" Rufus replied.  
Kai looked the prisoner up and down. She appeared to be a small ewe, wearing thick-rimmed, slightly cracked glasses. She stared at her hooves as she awaited her judgment.  
"Why would we not?"  
"This is Dawn Bellwether, she nearly exiled every predator in the city!"  
He looked her over once more. She gazed up into his eyes and he saw only fear in them. He sighed, and crouched down.  
"Bellwether, eh?"  
"Y-yes?" she murmured.  
"Today's your lucky day." He unlocked her shackles, and motioned off of the ship.  
"R-really? You're not going to trick me?"  
"No."  
"Thanks, I guess." She took one step before stopping. "You know, after what you did to the guard, I thought you were just another savage. But then, I saw what state the fox was in. I still don't know how to feel, but after what you did for me, I suppose you're not bad, for a predator."  
"I'll take that as a complement." He quickly fished out several bills from his jacket, handing them to her, before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Buy yourself a good pair of glasses. More importantly, don't be afraid of anyone. Hopefully, we'll meet again; I'd love to hear your story, and find out where your profound hatred of predators comes from. Until then, take care, little one."  
She stared first at the money, and then at him, before glancing back at the bills he just gave her.  
"Sir?" Felix piped up. "Are you sure about this? Freeing her is one thing, but giving money?"  
"She won't be any trouble. I wouldn't judge a person by their distant past, why would I judge a ewe?"  
Bellwether produced a weak smile, and also ran off.  
"Two years isn't distant," Felix muttered.

Eventually, they had finished; the Court members of the group were off to one side, and everyone else was gone.  
"Now what?" Kai heard from the crowd.  
He snapped his fingers, and the five members of his team assembled.  
"You five are to take them over yonder to the lodge in the woods."  
"And where, exactly, is yonder?" Prance asked.  
"Over in yonder direction," Kai joked, pointing to the large forest in the distance. "I'm sure they can give you directions."  
"I'm going to kick you in the yonder…" Felix muttered, walking off and herding up the members of the Court.  
"I heard that."  
The snow leopard waved dismissively as he began to collect a head count.  
"Before you go, I need Regulus to come to me. Arcturus, too," Kai continued.  
The grizzly and the vixen approached him.  
"What do you need us for?" the bear inquired.  
"Walk with me," Kai answered. He began to walk away, and they followed him. "Lyra, I need you for a favor."  
"And me?"  
"You are one of the closest allies I have in the Court. Despite our initially rocky relationship, I'd say we've eventually gotten along; you were kind to me. People like to repay kindness."  
"So what do you have planned?"  
"A hot meal, perhaps. Medical treatment. Fresh clothes. A shower, if you would like. That goes for both of you, by the way."  
"Surely you aren't taking us away just for kindness' sake?"  
"No. I have to fetch Sirius as well."  
"So what's this favor you need me for?" the fox asked.  
"Well, this will either be a great reunion, or a bitter reminder."  
"I don't follow."  
"You'll get it soon enough." He picked her up into his arms, and took off; Arcturus raced on all fours, barely keeping up.

They soon reached the bunker entrance, and Kai let them in; he quickly shepherded them into the elevator, before reconvening with them at the bottom.  
"Out of curiosity—" Vega began, before being interrupted.  
"My bones are alloyed," Kai quickly dismissed. "I don't have time for this explanation, I'm afraid."  
"So this is where you've been hiding out, for the last two thousand years?" Arcturus asked.  
"Just about."  
The bear chuckled.  
"I've been hiking in these mountains at least a dozen times. I must have passed that exact door at least once, and yet, I never noticed it."  
"That's because you weren't looking for it." He paused at the medical bay. "Ah, here we are. Sirius?"  
"Yo," the wolf responded, approaching them. "Arcturus! It's so good to see you!"  
They exchanged a hug and a pat on the back, before leaning back out.  
"And Vega!"  
"Regulus," Kai corrected.  
"Eh, whatever. How have you been?"  
She only stared, giving him an 'are you stupid?' look.  
"I'll take it that you're not doing so hot."  
"No shit. So, what's this favor again?" she asked of Kai.  
He led her over to the bed.  
"I want you to identify someone for me." He pointed to the bed's resident.  
Instantly, her eyes went wide with shock. She grabbed his cheeks, and began stretching his face every which way; she followed it up by ruffling his fur between her paws.  
"Ow, not so rough…" the white fox complained.  
"It is you!" Lyra squeaked, embracing him tightly and burying her face in his shoulder. "But how?!"  
"I… Who are you?"  
"Neal, it's me, Lyra!"  
"Lyra... Karahan?"  
"Who else?!" Tears began streaming down her face, falling onto his fur; there, it beaded up and rolled onto the bed.  
"Where am I?"  
"You're safe in the hospital of an underground bunker."  
"…Who am I?"  
"What?" She looked to Kai, who shrugged. "You're… You're Neal, my beloved mate!"  
"I… I'm sorry. My mind is just so… so foggy."  
"What's wrong with him?" she begged of Kai.  
"Rabies causes encephalitis; the swelling could have negatively impacted his memory and cognitive skills."  
"I know that, but will he ever be back to normal?!"  
"Perhaps with time; it is, however, possible that he'll never be the same. My best guess is that it all depends on whether or not he encounters something that can trigger a recall."  
"Like what?" she asked desperately.  
"Hobbies he used to enjoy, things he used to love, and so on. It's what I would expect, at any rate."  
She looked at Neal, and then back at Kai.  
"When can we start?"  
"Well, first we should try to cure his blindness."  
"Blindness?!"  
"I'd assume that either the swelling pressed against his optic nerve, or that it pushed the regions that process sight against the inside of his cranium. Either way, he'll most likely recover his twenty-twenty vision, but it will take time."  
Lyra pressed her snout into Neal's chest, before hopping up onto the bed and curling around him.  
"Now, I'd hate to interrupt a heartfelt reunion, but what's next?" Sirius asked.  
"Good question. You and Arcturus will accompany me."  
"Where to?"  
"The Court lodge. I'd say it's about time I set the city right." He turned to face the battered grizzly. "But first, you could use some food, some medicine, and a clean uniform."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay, I had a lot of work to finish up; I cut Thanksgiving and Black Friday a little short to finish this one up.**

 **In terms of story, there are probably two more chapters and then an epilogue, but don't worry! It's not the end of the fic, only this story arc. I'll probably call the next bit a new book; I don't think that I've fucked with the chapter numbering enough. Either way, I've still got a lot of writing left in me. Maybe even an intentionally cheesy, horribly gaudy Christmas chapter about the spirit of giving. If Star Wars can do that, I'm sure I can manage.**

 **A lot of the reviews didn't send an email notification to me, so I enjoyed reading over them just now. Speaking of which:  
 _Will Kai get the girl and save the day? Will he die? Will Jack rule the world? Will Bellwether be trouble? All these questions, and more, answered soon!_**

 **Hehe, that was fun. In any case, I can't reply to guest reviews, so I'll just tease the story a little more.**

* * *

Fun Fact #47: The name Wendy was invented for _Peter Pan_.

Something always gets past proofreading...


	50. Chapter XXXXIV: Endgame

**Two Hours Later**

Kai was at the staircase with Sirius, waiting for Arcturus to finish washing up; they were idly conversing when he walked up. Immediately, Sirius began guffawing.  
"What's so funny?" Arcturus questioned, narrowing his gaze.  
"Did you blow-dry?" the wolf responded, wiping tears from his eyes.  
"Look who's laughing," Kai intervened, grabbing at Sirius' fur. "Your coat's falling off in patches."  
"Hey, my winter coat's coming in! I'm not going bald!"  
"Someday, I'm going to tell your pups the story of the Blind Bald Wolf."  
"Oh, tell me!" Arcturus mocked.  
"A long time ago, when tigers used to smoke, there was a wolf. He was an interesting shade of brown, just like your father. He was very foolish, just like your father. He was also called Ian, just like your father."  
"Hey!" Sirius interjected. "I'm not foolish!"  
"Ian was an ordinary wolf in every way, save for the fact that he was very extraordinary. Two doctorates in law at twenty-eight, a senator within a year: luck was shining down at him."  
"What happened next?" Arcturus spoke in childish falsetto.  
"One day, a very bad rabbit decided he wanted to rule the world. He tried to have everyone in his way arrested; this included our beloved Ian. So, Ian wisely fled and hid. He found a gun with which to defend himself, but in his foolishness, he forgot adequate food and water."  
Sirius began tapping his hindpaw on the floor impatiently.  
"He called his friend, the mystical immortal god—"  
"Alright, now you're just flattering yourself," Sirius interrupted.  
"Fine. He called his friend, the mystical immortal human—"  
"Not much better."  
"He was then advised to stay hidden, and should he be found, he would under no circumstances resist arrest. Soon, the evil rabbit knocked on Ian's door. Ian answered the door: 'Who goes there?'. The rabbit asked for Ian, but the wolf was clever; he told the rabbit that he wasn't Ian, but was, instead…" Kai began waving his hand, as if prompting Sirius.  
"Archibald Wulford—"  
Kai and Arcturus burst out into hearty laughter.  
"He wasn't Ian, but instead, Archibald." Another chuckle. "The rabbit insisted on a look around; he walked in, put everything under his gaze, and found none other than Ian's driver's license."  
"It was your jerky that gave me away."  
"His what?" Arcturus asked.  
"Beef jerky. Cow, cut up finely and dried. Quite tasty, actually, but unfortunately, Jack could just sniff it out."  
"So when he said cannibal…"  
"Procyon assures me that cannibalism is eating one's own species."  
"The rabbit ordered Ian's arrest," Kai continued, "Ian broke the most important commandment from the sublime deity—"  
"Now you're just overdoing it," Arcturus admitted.  
"Fine, fine. Ian didn't obey the advice of his friend, and shot at the rabbit and his agents. After a lengthy struggle, the rabbit took out his knife and stabbed him in the eye."  
"That's blind, what about bald?" Arcturus inquired.  
"I've secretly been putting hair thinner in his shampoo."  
Sirius screeched and began pulling at his fur; Arcturus began laughing.  
"You didn't!" Sirius shouted.  
"You're right, just kidding."  
Sirius punched him more than lightly on the shoulder.  
"Although, I must admit, you look rather cute when you're that fluffy and in an eyepatch."  
"I'd rather be able to see," Sirius grumbled.  
"And whose fault is it that you can't?"  
"…Mine."  
"Exactly. Go comb it out. I'm not going anywhere with you looking like that."  
"We've already kept the others waiting for two hours!"  
"I'll wait as long as it takes."  
Sirius reluctantly hung his head low and walked down the hall.  
"Pick up the pace," Kai called.  
They watched him disappear, before a figure came running down the hall; it was Lyra.  
"Did you remember the…" she asked, trailing off. Kai nodded, patting a pocket.  
"What?" Arcturus asked.  
"Nothing of real importance," Kai explained.  
"Suit yourself."  
Lyra ran off to the infirmary without another word.  
"Really, though, what was that?"  
"A collaboration project, of the viral kind."  
"Hopefully you won't Mapleton the city, right?"  
"Non-contagious."  
"How did you get anything done in two hours?"  
"I had base samples from the archives; it takes less than half an hour to splice genes with the technology I have."  
"Impressive."

Eventually, Sirius returned, much less patchy than before. Kai donned his snow leopard disguise, and they proceeded to the surface, shortly thereafter setting out for the Court lodge. They ran rather slowly so as not to ruin their clothes, and no one was willing to start up a conversation. Before long, they reached the base of the hill. From the bottom, they could already see the large crowd waiting at the top. The trio slowly approached the entrance.  
"Took you long enough," someone complained. They ignored her, and continued through the door. There, the concierge was frantically leafing through books under his desk.  
"I hope you don't mind," Sirius began. "Could they, perhaps, stay inside?"  
"I… I don't see why not. It's cold outside."  
"You heard him!" Sirius shouted, ushering them inside; there, they quickly spread across the room, occupying the furniture.  
"Now, you are all to remain here until I come for you. Do I make myself clear?" Kai demanded.  
They all nodded.  
"Then I've wasted enough time. Meeting's at nine?" Kai inquired.  
"Y-yes?" the concierge muttered.  
"That's only a couple of hours. Come, we're waiting inside."  
He led his two companions into the currently unoccupied chambers; Kai dragged a free chair over to the center, took a seat, and leaned very far back, making himself comfortable.  
"Make yourselves comfortable, it's going to be a long wait," he advised. They found seats among the front row, and also got cozy.

Slowly, members began to pour in; incredulous looks were plastered on their faces as they spaced themselves out. They all looked expectantly at Kai for answers, but he didn't even spare them a glance. The clock struck nine, and there were several hundred mammals in the auditorium, but no one came forward to begin the meeting. Sirius decided to join his protege on the stage to help pass the time. It wasn't until just over fifteen minutes later that a doe hurriedly ran through the doors, mask not even fastened. When she saw who was standing before the statue of Atlas, she paused.  
"I should have guessed you were up to this, Sirius," she spoke with incredible distaste.  
"Don't let him take all the credit," Kai piped up, uncrossing his legs and standing.  
"His protege, then."  
"Come forward, Rigel."  
She took several more steps until she was looking him in the eyes.  
"You are either very brave or very stupid to be standing this close to me."  
"I fear nothing."  
"Tell me, how did you let these events come to pass? Did you not once question what Altair was doing?"  
"He's doing the right thing," she responded, confidently.  
"War is never the answer."  
"It would never go that far."  
"A fifteen kiloton atom bomb could level a city. If he dropped it, do you honestly think there would be no retaliation?"  
"No mammal would question that kind of authority."  
"When they realize you only have the one that you dropped, they would rally billions against you. You, in essence, would have declared total war."  
"Other mammals are fools. The only ones with any vision are right here." She motioned around.  
"One last thing: Jack's bomb, it was your brainchild, was it not?"  
"So what if it was? It was necessary."  
Kai flipped the switch on his belt, and his disguise melted away. As more and more of his true visage became apparent, her eyes went wider, and her lower lip began to quiver. He leaned in very close and wrapped one arm around her.  
"People _kill_ to keep nuclear secrets," he whispered into her ear.  
"No…" she breathed, trying in vain to back away.  
"I thought you feared nothing."  
When he pulled a knife from his belt, she struggled to break free, but he held her fast. She stared at the knife as it approached her until she could no longer see it; he pressed it firmly against her neck.  
"I don't know what's funnier," Kai continued. "That you try to justify making a bomb, or that you justify Jack's actions."  
"Why haven't you killed me yet?"  
"First, because I expect you to tell me where Jack is."  
"I imagine at City Hall. Surely that's not the only reason?"  
"No." He pulled the knife away and sheathed it, before releasing her.  
"Why, then?"  
"I try not to make a habit of killing expecting mothers."  
She stared, bewildered.  
"W—what? What are you talking about?"  
"Give your husband my congratulations," Kai said plainly.  
"Wait a minute! I'm not pregnant!"  
"If you really want me to kill you, then I'll be happy to oblige."  
"No, I'm glad and all, but I've had my tubes tied!"  
Kai laughed.  
"Your doctor didn't do a good job, then. The only reason you're alive is because you have a shoddy practitioner. Now, back to business: Jack is in city hall. Why?"  
"He took over the mayoral position."  
"Call him for me."  
Rigel carefully removed her phone, and then slowly dialed a number.  
"Jack, I'm terribly sorry to bother you at this hour."  
"I presume this is Ena?" replied the voice. "You know how busy I am."  
"You presume correctly, and again, I'm very sorry. Listen, we have a slight problem."  
"That being?"  
"Well… I should let him explain." She gave her phone to the human.  
"Him?" the rabbit inquired.  
"Hello, Jack," Kai spoke. He heard an audible sigh on the other end.  
"I figured you would still be alive."  
"It takes more than a cage to kill me."  
"So you were the one ruining my day, huh?"  
"Give it up, Jack. You have nothing left."  
"Nothing?" The rabbit sounded intrigued.  
"Your bomb is gone. The rest of the court is free. You are out of bargaining chips."  
"My _bomb_ is gone? Singular?"  
"You can't trick me. You only had one."  
Jack laughed.  
"I only hid the shipping manifests for one base from the commander. I took a gamble, and it payed off; as soon as you saw one blocked off, you immediately jumped the gun. There were three more just like it. Speaking of the base commander, I'll have to make sure to have him killed."  
"So you have three more bombs. I'll just make sure to destroy them as well, just tell me where you've kept them."  
"You'll be hard-pressed. As we speak, they're already flying across the Atlantic."  
"Turn those planes around. Now."  
"What, did you just realize that there's nothing you can do? Do you finally know what helplessness feels like?"  
"This isn't helplessness, Jack."  
"Well, then we'll talk tomorrow, once I've annexed Corsica. Until then, don't bother me; I have a press conference." The rabbit hung up.  
"That motherfucker," Kai muttered. "Three more bombs."  
Rigel shook her head.  
"You can't win," she muttered.  
"You are alive because I deem it to be this way," he hissed, retrieving a small remote from inside his vest. "Pray I do not change my mind."  
"What's that?" Sirius inquired.  
"He wants a war, I'll give him one he has no chance in hell of winning."  
"You don't really mean—"  
"I'm knocking those planes out of the sky." Kai punched several commands into the tablet, before stowing it and walking for the exit. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to kill him. By the time I get back, I expect everyone in the lobby to be pardoned. Absolved of everything Jack slandered them with. Then, we'll talk about my demands, and the future of this Court."  
"What do you mean, 'future of this Court'?" Rigel questioned.  
"Whether or not Court will have a future." He exited and slammed the doors shut.

On his way out, he briefly paused in the lobby.  
"All of you are free to do anything you wish. Make yourselves at home; I've made sure there will be no problems."  
"Where are you going?" the closest mammal asked.  
"I have to see a rabbit about a bomb." As he walked through the doors, Leora followed him out.  
"What's wrong?" she inquired.  
"He had four."  
"What?"  
"He had four bombs. We only got one."  
Her eyes went wide.  
"Surely we can go get them now?!" she quickly asked in a worried tone.  
"They're already flying over the Atlantic."  
"No…"  
"Don't worry," he replied, a satisfied smirk growing on his face. "They can't outrun an antiballistic missile."  
"It has to be a really fast missile to hit a bomber going five-hundred and fifty knots before they reach the other side of the sea."  
"Seventy-eight thousand knots." He turned to leave. "I really need to get going."  
"I'm coming with you."  
"Suit yourself. Try to stay out of harm, and try to keep up."  
"What hurry are you in? If you took care of everything, why the rush?"  
"If Jack leaves, we may never find him again. All I know is that he is most likely in City Hall at a press conference."  
"Wait, why do you know that?"  
"He let it slip."  
She stopped in her tracks, and he turned to face her.  
"He didn't let it slip, I think he's intentionally baiting you," she voiced.  
"Why would you say that?" he responded, raising a brow.  
"He's director of the ZSS, he pulled all of this off without a hitch; do you honestly think it was a mistake?"  
"I do, but I suppose a little undue caution never hurt." He switched on his wolf's disguise and took off towards the city. He occasionally glanced behind him to ensure that Leora was still following; every time he glanced, she lagged farther behind.

Eventually, however, he reached the North end of the city; he waited for his companion to catch up before continuing. As they walked through the streets, she did her best to contain her panting, but garnered stares nonetheless.  
"Are you alright?" Kai inquired.  
"Yeah, I just hate being stared at."  
"Are you sure they aren't staring at me?"  
"I look like a horror movie victim and I'm out of breath. Who do you think they're looking at?"  
"Why do you care what anyone else thinks? All that matters is what you think. In any case, don't let yourself get distracted."  
They came upon a very large crowd teeming to the brim with news crews. As they attempted to wade through the crowd, they were stopped by the mammals therein.  
"Wait your turn! We all wanna get in!" someone shouted.  
"What's going on?" Kai asked.  
"You haven't heard? They're hosting a formal ball at city hall, followed by press conference from Mayor Savage."  
"I see." He grabbed Leora by the arm and led her away. "We have to find another way to get in."  
"I've got this." She pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialed a number, before putting it on speaker for Kai to hear. "Chief Bogo?"  
"Leora, it's been nearly three days! Where are you?!"  
"Listen, Chief, we need help."  
"What kind?"  
"We have to get into city hall."  
"Why?"  
"I assure you," Kai interjected. "It's important."  
"You… I should have guessed that she would be with you."  
"Jack nearly bombed several billion mammals off of the face of the Earth. You're lucky that I'm around."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Savage sent bombers over the Atlantic. I knocked them out of the sky."  
"Why should I believe you?"  
"He's telling the truth, Chief," Leora explained. "Please, this is really important."  
"Fine. Where are you?"  
"About three blocks South of the main entrance."  
"Alright, walk to Precinct One. I'll escort you personally."  
"We'll see you there." She hung up, setting off for the police station.  
"You handled that rather expertly, if I do say," Kai complemented.  
"I have my uses."  
"I never doubted you for a second."

They navigated around the large crowd, quickly reaching the steps of the precinct; at the top of the steps, Bogo stood in his dress uniform, arms crossed.  
"Leora, what happened to you?!"  
"Not much, why?"  
"I mean… it's just that…" He motioned to her face. "He didn't hurt you?"  
"I've been like that, Chief. At least two months."  
"My apologies. Perhaps I didn't notice earlier because I was too overjoyed to see you." He turned to Kai. "Now, you owe me an explanation."  
"I have to get to Jack first," Kai spoke. "I promise I'll explain everything, but first, we have to get him out of power."  
"Suppose I choose to believe your first statement about him trying to bomb other nations. If that's not what the citizens want, then why did they vote him in with overwhelming majority?"  
"Perhaps you remember a long series of arrests, all seemingly for treason?"  
"How do you know about that?"  
"He was getting rid of his political opponents. None of those charges are accurate."  
"I can't believe that without evidence."  
"We could wait around until he actually does something that gives you evidence, by which time he will have killed everyone that opposed him and built another bomb, or you can trust us on this one, and we take him down tonight."  
The cape buffalo turned to face Leora, with an expectant look on his face.  
"Please, Chief," she pleaded. "Give us a chance."  
Bogo sighed.  
"Well, I gave a rabbit a chance once, and she took down a major conspiracy. I suppose I can extend the same to you." He brushed past them. "Let's go."

They followed him through the streets, past a police barricade, and along the red carpet lining the steps of city hall. As they walked towards the entrance, camera bulbs flashed, and reporters made their comments about who the chief of police himself would be escorting. They showed very mild concern about their military uniforms, but quickly changed subject. The trio entered the main hall to find that numerous guests were already partaking in the festivities, and that dozens of mammals acting as security were walking about and lining the walls; their black suits and earpieces were fairly disconcerting.  
"Fancy party," Leora noted.  
"We're not here to party and eat hors d'oeuvres," Kai noted.

As they went further through the vast lobby, they attracted numerous stares from well-dressed guests, as well as the attention of the security. When they reached the far staircase that led further up the building, the guards stopped them.  
"No guests past this point."  
"Police business," Bogo explained, showing his badge.  
"I have direct orders from the ZSS and the mayor, no guests past this point," the agent replied, showing his badge. "If you tell me the nature of your business, I can have it taken care of for you."  
"I have a warrant for his arrest from the ZBI," Kai explained, fishing out and waving random papers from his coat, in the hopes that the guard wouldn't notice that they were actually miscellany.  
"What? On what charges, and the hell is the ZBI?"  
"Bureau of Intelligence, we deal with internal affairs and counterespionage."  
"How come I've never heard of it?"  
"Because we normally operate under a veil of secrecy. It's not exactly good for counterespionage if everyone knows about it."  
"I'm going to have to radio this in, hold on."  
Before the guard could do anything, Kai knocked him unconscious and dragged him out of sight.  
"What are you doing?!" Bogo berated.  
"I don't have time for this. Come on."  
Before they made it more than ten steps down the hall, four more agents intervened, weapons drawn.  
"You're all under arrest," one of them spoke.  
"You know, Bogo, this is going to be hard if I can't kill them."  
"No killing," the Chief hissed.  
Kai shrugged, before flipping two, throwing one into the ground, and striking the fourth firmly in the chest. As the fourth staggered, he hit a wall and slid down, breathing heavily.  
"Shit," Kai spoke, massaging his wrist. "Chief, I trust you can fetch a medic."  
"What did you do?!"  
"Commotio cordis. His heart stopped."  
"You fix it, right now!"  
"I can't." He quickly absconded with the handcuffs on Bogo's belt, followed by Leora, leaving Bogo by himself to fetch medical attention.

"You did that on purpose to ditch the Chief, didn't you?" Leora inquired. "You wouldn't make a mistake like that."  
"As usual, you see right through my plans. It's highly unlikely that he would die, but Bogo should hurry, just in case."  
After going through several more agents, they reached the mayor's office. Kai opened the door.

* * *

 **A/N: Brief author's note here, the next chapter should be out very soon after this one comes up. I just need to do a final proofread, and it'll be ready. This is the penultimate chapter, but don't worry. I'll still keep writing one way or another, preferably this fic.**


	51. Chapter XXXXV: Checkmate

Inside, Jack sat in the chair behind the desk, drumming his fingers, and leaning on his other fist, which held his phone.

"You," he simply said, sitting upright. He pushed the play button on the device, and set it on the desk.  
"Spirit to base, please response… We're picking up strange readings on our radar, something absurdly fast is coming from behind, forty five degrees elevation."  
The voice changed, presumably to the base radio operator.  
"Our scanners aren't reading anything, it's probably a malfunction."  
"Signal's getting stronger, taking evasive maneuvers."  
"Negative, Spirit, stay on course."  
"I…" The signal abruptly cut off with sharp static; the base operator made repeated failed attempts to contact the plane before the recording cut off.  
Jack took the phone and stowed it away.  
"I don't know how, but we've lost contact. All five planes confirmed destroyed, even the two decoys," Jack seethed.  
"It's hard to avoid a missile that goes mach one-eighteen," Kai responded, approaching the desk.  
Jack slowly shook his head.  
"You're never content with losing, not even a little."  
"I don't lose."  
"You know, the world could have been made great. We could have finally united—"  
"War is never the answer. You can't unite through violence."  
"People, perhaps not. Mammals are stupid, gullible."  
"You've clearly never met people."  
"I have one right before me, and yet, I don't feel intrigued, nor do I feel privileged to meet the last of a nearly extinct race. I only feel loathing and disgust that you don't see things the correct way."  
"You mean your way."  
"So, what now? You kill me?"  
"What, you don't have an ace up your sleeve?"  
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Why don't you find out?"  
"Jack, this is real life, not a movie. There won't be some heroic confrontation, where after a lengthy struggle, the righteous rabbit beats the evil wolf. No grand finale, no surprising upset. You will lose, and the world will keep turning as if you never existed."  
Jack roared, and drew a small pistol, shooting Leora in the abdomen before she could react. Kai quickly leaped the desk and seized the rabbit by the throat, crushing the gun in his hand.  
"Now, Jack, you officially pissed me off." He slammed him through the desk, riving the mahogany surface into splinters. "Why her? I'm the one that poses the threat!"  
"I know…" Jack began, coughing and hacking through the man's hold, "That I… can't hurt you… physically… but emotionally…" Jack made an attempt to laugh, but Kai squeezed tighter, quickly silencing him.  
Leora stood, massaging her abdomen, before throwing off her bulletproof vest.  
"Glad I was wearing this, huh?" she asked, before sitting down in one of the chairs and leaning heavily.  
"Is this it, then?" Jack wheezed.  
"It is. The whole world will know of your deception, I'll make sure of it. I imagine the Court will help, now that they have nothing to fear from you."  
"Well…" he began, letting his arms fall to his sides. "What are you waiting for?"  
Leora sat up, and let out a deep sigh.  
"What's wrong?" Kai asked, turning to face her.  
"Don't mind me, my ribs hurt, it's not comfortable to—" Her eyes went wide. When he turned back to the rabbit, he found a cylindrical grenade in Jack's paw; he pulled the pin and was attempting to throw it into Kai's face. In the blink of an eye, Kai slapped the rabbit's wrist, sending the grenade careening up. Much shorter than the standard fuze time, it exploded nearly immediately after the spoon flew out; Kai clutched at his eyes from the pain of the explosion inches from his face. In the aftermath of the blast, Jack tried in vain to wriggle free, but Kai only held the rabbit tighter.  
Once everything was still again, Kai removed his hand from his eye.  
"A flashbang? You honestly thought a flashbang would save you?" he spoke, chuckling.  
"What are you laughing at? Your left eye is bleeding."  
Kai dabbed gently at his left eye, before inspecting his palm with his right; Jack was right.  
"I also assume you can't see out of it. Maybe you can join Sirius in the one-eyed club!" the rabbit boasted, laughing.  
Kai slammed the rabbit into the wall, cracking the plaster.  
"You would assume correctly. Do you know what I do to people that blind me?" he hissed, choking the life out of the rabbit.  
"Just kill me already. I'm ready to see her again." Jack closed his eyes.  
"No, not yet."  
Kai retrieved a small white cylinder from inside his vest pocket, bit the cap off, and jammed it into the rabbit's neck. Jack shrieked and slapped Kai's hand away.  
"What did you do to me?!" he demanded.  
"The same thing you did to her parents."  
"W-what?"  
"You wanted Regulus' virus; well…" Kai cackled madly. "You can have it."  
"No! NO!"  
"Oh, yes. You have a difficult dilemma. Do you admit everything you did and seek treatment, or do you continue to deny your wrongdoings, and surely lose your mind?"  
"What do you want from me?!"  
"I want you to apologize to her." Kai brought the rabbit over to the leopardess. "Apologize."  
"Why should I?"  
"If you do, I'll cure you."  
"What proof do I have that you'll honor that agreement?"  
"I saved you before, didn't I? Besides, when have I ever lied?"  
"You promise?"  
"I do."  
Jack took a few deep breaths, before looking her in the eyes.  
"I'm sorry, I truly am. You need to understand that I wasn't trying to harm you; I was acting in the best interests of the city, and the Court," he spoke solemnly.  
She stared at him with the utmost scrutiny.  
"I believe you," she finally stated. Jack breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Alright," Kai stated, fastening Jack's paws behind his back with Bogo's cuffs. "Let's go."  
"Wait, you said you would cure me! You promised!" Jack shouted.  
"I did, and I will; despite everything you've done. However, I want you to know what they've gone through. What you've done to everyone else. When the Court and I figure out how to cure them, we'll extend the favor to you a year later."  
Before Jack could respond, Kai tore some cloth from the rabbit's suit and gagged him with it. Leora opened the door; she pulled some gauze from one of her pockets, padding his eye and wrapping it around his head; although his disguise didn't show his damaged eye, the bandages sat atop and quickly soaked in the blood.  
"Thanks," he stated.  
"You're not really blind, are you?"  
"It'll grow back."  
"What?"  
"Remember that photo I showed you, of the four commanders?"  
She nodded.  
"Well," he continued, "Where do you think that scar came from? The one across my eyes, that is."  
"You said it was a knife fight."  
"And do you really think a knife fight would leave my eyes intact?"  
She stared, bewildered.  
"The bandages came off about a week before that photo was taken. Don't worry, I'll see again soon enough."

They descended down, quickly coming across numerous uniformed officers and paramedics. In front of everyone else was Bogo.  
"Leora, where's your vest?"  
"I was shot, it broke."  
"Are you hurt?!"  
"No, I'll live."  
"And you, 'ambassador'? What happened to your eye?"  
"Nothing some time won't fix."  
"There's a medic here, he can properly dress that."  
"No thanks." Kai looked left and right. "Say, what happened to all of the agents?"  
"Those that got in the way were arrested. We outnumbered them three to one, and they went without a fight."  
"They were just following orders; I'm sure they can get released after we clear things up."  
"Now, for your explanation."  
"First, I have to get out of here. I need to set some things right, address the media."  
"You? A press conference?" Bogo laughed. "This ought to be good."  
They slowly went down the grand staircase to find that the lobby had since flooded with mammals; numerous news cameras were scattered about as interviews were being conducted. ZSS Agents were being led away. Several technicians were in the process of setting up the podium. Everyone went about their business until they all saw Jack in restraints; they immediately rushed to surround the trio as close as they could, before they were shepherded several feet back by the police. Kai walked forward to the newly set-up podium, with several still-disconnected microphones adorning the top.

Kai tapped each of the microphones in succession, and those that didn't work were shortly fixed.  
"I'm sure you're all curious as to why the current mayor is in restraints," Kai began, before pausing and looking back to Bogo.  
"Introduce yourself," Bogo whispered, offering his advice.  
"Right. I am ZBI Agent Sinclaw. I'm not much for press conferences, but you all deserve to know the truth. Roughly a week ago, a series of arrests made big news. Big names in politics, business, and law were all arrested; somewhere around three-hundred mammals. For the most part, the charges were all the same: treason, among several other outlandish ones. In a few days, an emergency election for mayor was held, and Jack Savage won nearly unanimously. The only reason he won was because he had all of his political opposition arrested. He deliberately misled everyone into believing that he was doing the right thing. Over the next week, he conducted several hundred more arrests and murders to secure his position. During that time, he made plans to install a curfew to ensure his complete control; thankfully, it didn't pass." He looked around; everyone eagerly leaned in to hear more; cameras flashed hundreds of times per second; he continued. "He also made plans to violate nonaggression pacts by sending bombers over the Atlantic, with the aim of bullying Corsica into being annexed. We have since stopped the planes, destroying their munitions. Regrettably, at this time, it is not expected that the pilots survived. Just now, ZPD Officer Leora, Chief Bogo, and I organized and conducted Savage's arrest. He was found in possession of an illegal firearm and explosive munitions, and as such, we sustained minor injuries. However, I am pleased to report that his time as mayor is over. After a mental evaluation, he will be incarcerated for life."  
Kai looked back to Bogo; the Chief looked intrigued, gently stroking his chin with one hoof. After several seconds of staring, Bogo waved his hoof over itself, as if to prompt him to continue.  
"I will now take time for questions," Kai continued. Bogo immediately buried his face in his hooves as the crowd exploded into a cacophony. Kai pointed at one reporter.  
"Who are you, and what organization do you represent? What is the ZBI?"  
"I already introduced myself. As for the ZBI…" He looked back to Bogo once more. The Chief gave the slightest shrug. "The Bureau of Intelligence. We specialize in internal affairs and counterespionage. You probably haven't heard of us because until now, we were proactive in stopping problems before they surfaced. Unfortunately, Savage was a tough mammal to catch." He pointed to another reporter.  
"Is there a trial date set for Mr. Savage?"  
"The sad truth of life is that some mammals are too dangerous to try; he has nearly every judge in his back pocket. His case will be reviewed in private by ZBI auditors, but there will be no public trial." Protests sounded throughout the crowd, but Kai ignored them. Once they began to die down, he pointed to a mammal in the back.  
"Who will take charge of the city?"  
"Mayor Lionheart will return to resume his position; the arrested have since been freed in a joint collaboration with ZPD SWAT. The senators will resume their positions, as will everyone else. A full list of names of the pardoned will be available within a week's time by the ZPD."  
"And the ZSS?"  
"We already have a very strong candidate to take up the role of director; she was nearly killed by Savage a week ago, but she should recover very soon. I'll allow her to introduce herself when she feels up to it."

He continued taking questions for a long time. Even past midnight, the crowd showed no signs of letting up. Bogo eventually intervened.  
"I need to cut it off here; if you have any questions left, I will be available to take them as well as comments via my usual contact info," he spoke, gently nudging Kai away from the podium. The trio exited, Jack in tow, surrounded by both officers and reporters alike. Bogo secured transportation, and the three entered the car, with Bogo behind the wheel. Once they made some distance from the crowd, Bogo parked on the side of the road and turned around to face them.  
"First, we take him into custody. Then, I'll need my explanation."  
"There's no need."  
"What do you mean, no need! We just arrested him!"  
"1 Linnaeus Drive. Take us there."  
"That's the… that's probably the fifth time I've heard some connection between that and all the big-wigs. Why?"  
"The answers to all of your questions, and more, will be there."  
Bogo grumbled, but changed directions nonetheless. The drive there was mostly silent, as Jack had long since stopped struggling; his eyes were red from tears, but had since lost their focus and luster. To any outside observer he would have appeared dead, were it not for the fact that he was breathing.

Bogo stopped at the base of the hill, and they exited, making the ascent up the trail. They passed through the double doors, where they found only the other four members of Kai's squad, sprawled out and nearly asleep on the sofas.  
"What are you four doing here?" Bogo asked.  
"Oh, Chief Bogo!" Prance stated, sitting upright. "We were just following orders."  
Bogo shot a dirty glare at Kai.  
"As you were."  
They continued until they reached the chambers. Inside, nearly the entirety of the Court were glued to their phone screens, watching the live news updates; as soon as they heard the doors, they turned to look.  
"Procyon! You're back!" Sirius shouted, running up, before pausing several steps away. "What happened to your eye?!"  
"Jack happened. I'll live."  
"So… are you blind in that eye?"  
"I suppose you'll have someone else to be blind with," Kai responded, chuckling.  
"And you brought Altair?"  
"Altair no longer," Kai replied, leading his group to center stage. "Where's Rigel?"  
"Here," the doe answered drearily, standing from her seat in the first row and approaching; she, along with everyone else, wore their masks. Kai disabled his disguise, much to Bogo's shock.  
"What is this freak show?" Bogo demanded.  
"Patience, Bogo; everything will be explained," Kai assured, before turning to address the audience. "Is Alcor here?"  
The tanuki raised his paw and piped up.  
"I leave Jack in your care," Kai commanded. "Give him a secure room at the asylum."  
Alcor slowly shambled to the stage, leading the now zombie-like Jack up the stairs; several other larger mammals stood to help escort the captive.  
"Now, I've decided to let the Court live on. On several conditions."  
"Why should we honor—" Rigel began, before being cut off.  
"The only reason any of you are still alive is because I stepped in to fix your fuck-up. You will either meet my demands, or I will forcefully disband your group."  
"Let's hear them, then."  
"First: my six squad mates, as well as everyone else I have been in contact with, are to be kept safe by any means necessary."  
"Six?" Bogo asked. "I thought Neal died."  
"Not even death lasts forever, apparently," Kai responded absentmindedly. "Second: you are allowed to continue your business amongst yourselves, but should I intervene, you will obey me unconditionally."  
"That's unreasonable!" Rigel shouted.  
"Be thankful I'm letting you continue at all. Third: you will work to find a cure for Arina and Taro."  
"Who?"  
"Her parents," Kai answered, pointing to Leora. "Patients of Alcor. Dementia caused by Regulus and Jack."  
"That's practically impossible, and you know it."  
"Well, then you'd better start working as soon as you can, then. Fourth, the new Altair will be one of my choice."  
"Absolutely not."  
"You have no say in the matter. Sirius?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Remind me to fetch Grace when I get back."  
The wolf nodded.  
"Fifth, he gets a seat," Kai stated, pointing to Bogo.  
"Why him?!"  
"I imagine the Chief of Police deserves a spot, don't you? In any case, I promised him an explanation. I trust Achernar is up to the challenge?"  
"I can try," the giraffe called out from the back.  
"Good. If I think of something else, I'll let you know. Until then, I'm taking my leave; most likely for a while. I'm stepping down from the role of Procyon for the time being, but I'll keep a close eye on everyone."  
"Why?"  
"I want Sirius to have full choice in his protege without feeling shackled to me. Bogo, your explanations lie here." Kai walked off with Leora, leaving Chief Bogo at the center of the stage. As he walked up the stairs, he momentarily paused. "Oh, and Achernar?"  
"Yeah?"  
Kai withdrew a small device from one of his pockets and threw it to the giraffe, who fumbled momentarily while catching it.  
"What's this?"  
"A brief history of war. Don't repeat our mistakes."  
"How brief?"  
"Seven and a half hours. The other side of that chip is a brief introduction to human history. I figured I'd clear up any misconceptions."  
He proceeded up the steps, before he was stopped by Arcturus.  
"Before you leave, may I ask one last favor?" the grizzly inquired.  
"That being?"  
"I want you to take me to where you left my son."  
Kai deliberated for several moments before agreeing. The trio exited, before traveling down the hill. At the bottom, they stole one of the cars and began to drive.

Over the hour it took to arrive to the hill with the lone tree, the sun's rays slowly began to peek out from past the horizon. Once they got to their destination, they trekked up the hill. The sunrise cast long shadows in the unkempt fields below, and the tree's shadow nearly reached the road. Nearly twenty feet from the tree, a weather-worn skeleton lay, face down.  
"I thought you tied him to the tree," Leora muttered. Kai leaned down to inspect the bones: a very rusted handgun, slide still open, lay to the side. The skull had a hole in both sides.  
"I dropped the bullets that I removed somewhere around here. I didn't think he would crawl to reach them." He looked around. "All empty casings, too. He must have shot off all of the rounds except for the last in a desperate bid to garner someone's attention. Looks like it failed."  
Arcturus fell to his knees before the bones, tears slowly forming in his eyes. He picked up the skull, and held it up, pressing it to his forehead. After a long time, he lowered it, and looked to the sunset.  
"Not a bad place to die. Especially not for a soldier."  
"I'm sorry, Arcturus."  
The bear shook his head.  
"I'll never understand why it had to come to this."  
"What?!" Leora muttered, before shouting. "Are you serious?!"  
"What he did didn't warrant dying like this. He deserved an honorable death."  
"You only say that because you have absolutely no clue. Dishonorable fiends deserve their dishonorable deaths."  
"Really?! Tell me, what did he do, that you had to kill him like this?!"  
"Oh, I'll one-up that and show you!" She threw off her coat, her shirt, and her jeans; she was now standing in the winter wind in only her lingerie. Arcturus did his best to look away. "Don't you dare look away! This is what he did to me!"  
Arcturus continued to look at the sunset.  
"LOOK AT ME!"  
The bear slowly turned back to look at her.  
"I used to be pretty, beautiful even, by leopard standards! I would attract the attention of everyone in the room! Now, I still do, but it's not because I'm beautiful." She ran her fingers over the numerous scars. "And you still say he's innocent."  
"It wasn't worth death," Arcturus muttered, turning back.  
"Why you—!" she screamed, before Kai stopped her.  
"Leora, stop. Let a father grieve." He picked up her clothes and handed them to her, leading her away from the hillside.  
"He… he ruined my life."  
"But you still have yours. At the end of the day, you're alive, and he's not."  
"Are you trying to justify what he did?!"  
"No, I'm trying to calm you down."  
"You're not doing a very good job…"  
"You have to understand that Arcturus had nothing to do with what happened to you. It's unfair to take your anger out on him."  
"Then who can I take it out on, if not him?"  
"Me."  
She looked taken aback.  
"Why?"  
"Everything bad that's happened to you in the past three months is all my fault. Everything that happened to the city is my fault."  
"But I… I can't, you saved me more times than you hurt me."  
"That doesn't absolve me of my wrongdoings."  
"I can't hold it against you." She pulled him into a hug.  
"You know, Leora, as touching as this hug is, it's ten below, there's snow on the ground, and you're still half naked."  
"I know."  
Kai couldn't help but chuckle.  
"Come on, arms up."  
She raised her arms, and he slipped her shirt back over her head.  
"Leg," he ordered, holding out her jeans; she managed to get a leg in before nearly falling over, laughing.  
"I can dress myself, you know."  
"Evidently not."  
She slipped her other leg through, and took her jacket back. Kai looked up the hill; Arcturus was in the process of digging a hole, presumably a grave. Kai sighed.  
"It's all my fault."  
"Don't beat yourself up over it. That damn lion did a lot even before you showed up."  
"Perhaps, but I killed so many, ruined the lives of even more."  
"Maybe you did, but if you didn't, I never would have met you."  
"Well, every bit of bad news always carries some good with it, I suppose."  
"So, I never got your answer."  
"Well, we're not done yet. I still have to get everyone back home safely, take care of a few more matters." He turned to walk back uphill, but she stopped him and rotated him back around.  
"Yes or no. Simple answer."  
"What's the question?" he inquired.  
"Do you love me?"  
Kai smiled.  
"You remind me very much of a woman I used to know."  
"Yes or no?"  
He chuckled.  
"Yes."  
She pulled him in for a kiss; he was initially shocked, but held her close and played along.

"Alright, lovebirds. I've done everything that I wanted here," Arcturus solemnly spoke. "I've finally gotten my peace."  
"Just a minute more?" Leora asked, briefly pulling away.  
"Fine."  
She continued holding him affectionately, nuzzling his neck; when she pulled away, she saw that he was smiling, and tears were streaming down his face.  
"Garrett? What's wrong? You never cry."  
He pulled her close.  
"I'm sorry. I've just forgotten how good this felt.  
"I only hugged you..."  
"No, not that," he whispered. "Loving and being loved."  
"Don't cry," she comforted. "I'm not leaving. Come on, we have work to finish. Or, were you _lying_?"  
He chuckled, wiping his eyes.  
"Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Epilogue to follow shortly. Without sounding like a sellout, and without making this sound like an Oscar speech, I'd like to take some time to give a big thanks to everyone who helped make this story as good as it was:  
Jackofallfables for the enormous amount of proofreading, editing, and other miscellaneous help,  
Zetal911 for the help with rewriting the intro and several few chapters after that,  
Bosstwin for the cover art,  
Magus Neon for the better story title,  
xPrimalHunterx and alliesvsaxis1945 for the fun facts,  
(In no particular order) Foxkid225, ADutchMarine, Gunbladeprimal, AlbineFox, unchained04, Darkwolfslayer21, 18lyokon, dieselford93 (3k), yesboss21, and TheMentalAdventurer for moral support, ideas, and good conversation,  
And everyone that read this fic. A story is only worth as much as its readers allow, and you were some of the best readers I could have had. Constant feedback from all of you helped me shape this story in the right direction, and helped shape me as a writer.**

 **To each of you, I give my sincerest thanks.**

 **Now, for one more upload, and one more A/N.**


	52. Epilogue

**Epilogue  
** **Savannah Central  
** **Zootopia  
** **Two Weeks Later**

Kai sat in Central Park with Leora, watching the mammals go about their business.  
"You know," he began. "This is strangely peaceful."  
"Kinda boring."  
"Well, you tend to pick up on a lot of things. See that horse there?"  
"You mean way in the distance?"  
"Childhood leg injury. The pronounced limp in his gait is a telltale sign."  
She squinted.  
"You can see that from here?"  
"Excuse me, ma'am?" a leopard spoke, interrupting their conversation, leaning over Kai. "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to a party?"  
"What kind of party?"  
"Our frat is hosting a winter festival."  
"I'm twenty-eight."  
"Oh, a cougar; don't worry, I still dig it."  
"What, couldn't get someone your age?" she asked, amused.  
"Hey, you got me. What do you say?"  
"And you couldn't find anyone better-looking?"  
He shrugged.  
"I'm taken, sorry," she spoke, motioning subtly to her left.  
"A—A wolf?" He sneered. "I'm getting cuckolded by a one-eyed freak? You disgust me."  
He made an attempt to spit, but Kai grabbed him by the chin and dragged him down to eye level.  
"Were you about to spit on her?" he asked quietly.  
"I ought to spit on you, too."  
Kai quickly squeezed, before throwing the leopard back; he made pained squeaks, clutching at his mouth.  
"Well, I think we overstayed our welcome."  
"Yeah, let's go."  
They stood, and began walking away; as Leora glanced back, she saw the younger cat drooling a slow trickle of blood.  
"What did you do?"  
"Shattered his mandibular fossa."

They walked for a while, before Kai suddenly paused, patting his coat down, before retrieving a vibrating phone.  
"What's wrong?"  
"I almost forgot; Grace becomes director of the ZSS in ten minutes. I thought it was at five."  
"Shall we?"  
"Naturally."  
The pair changed directions, heading to City Hall. When they entered, they looked on from the back of the crowd. Grace was joined by Mayor Lionheart and Sirius on stage. Sirius noticed them walk in, and traversed the crowd to reach them.  
"I was wondering where you were," the wolf muttered.  
"I got your phone call."  
"Yeah, you just missed her speech."  
"Eh," Kai responded, shrugging. He removed a tiny box, and a small, sealed case from inside his coat, handing the former to Sirius before following him to the side of the stage. Once the applause had ended, and Lionheart had finished conducting the ceremonies, Grace exited to the side, meeting up with them. She nuzzled Sirius gently, before turning her attention to the two visitors.  
"Fancy seeing you here," she commented.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, but I brought a gift to make up for it." He gave her the box.  
"It's heavy." She rattled it near her ear. "What's in it?"  
"Tranquilizer gun, custom made. Among other things."  
"Other things like what?"  
"Oh, some human luxuries. Medications for him, too. Don't open the box until you get home."  
She smirked, thanking him before exiting with Sirius.  
"What was in the smaller box?" Leora asked. "The one you gave to the senator?"  
"Sirius asked me to make him an engagement ring."  
"They've barely known each other for a month."  
"I know; I just hope they don't crash and burn after getting married."  
Leora chuckled.  
"Me, too."  
"So, who else should we check on, today?"  
"Who do you have presents for?"  
"Oh, just about everyone."  
"How about Neal, then?"  
"Sounds like a plan."  
They boarded the train from Savannah Central, riding through to Tundratown; from there, they walked several blocks, arriving to a small apartment complex. They took the elevator up a few floors, before proceeding to the end of the hallway and knocking. The door creaked open, a single violet eye glaring out.  
"I hope we're not intruding," Kai inquired.  
"Not at all!" The door flew open to reveal that Lyra was standing in a cooking apron; at the table behind them, Neal was flipping through photo albums. "Come in!"  
They entered, shutting the door behind them.  
"How goes it?" Kai asked.  
"Brilliantly! His blindness faded about a week ago, and he seems to remember more and more every day!"  
"Neal?"  
The white fox's ears perked upon hearing his name, and he turned to face them.  
"Hello," he spoke, closing the photo album.  
"Do you remember us?"  
Neal strained to remember, snapping his fingers as if the answer was on the tip of his tongue.  
"Sorry, no," he answered regrettably.  
"No matter. I brought a present for you."  
"What kind?"  
Kai retrieved a small case, set it on the table, and opened it. Inside were the parts for a gun, and some tinted goggles. He quickly assembled the weapon, handing it to the fox.  
"Your linear railgun."  
"Linear… linear… the railgun!" Neal answered in a sudden moment of revelation, hugging them tightly. "Ambassador, Leora!" Neal pulled away for a moment. "Wait, I thought you where white?"  
"Yeah, I was."  
Lyra was beaming from the kitchen.  
"I… wow, I missed a lot, didn't I?" he continued, nearly shedding a tear. "It's been so long..."  
"Indeed you did," Kai responded.  
"Would you two like to stay for dinner?" Lyra offered.  
Kai looked at Leora, who shrugged.  
"We could, but I wouldn't want to impose."  
"Oh, it's no trouble at all! It's the least I can do for you saving his life."

She offered them seats at the table, which they took with gratitude.  
"Sorry for the small chairs, we never expected much company," Lyra piped up.  
"These are pretty normal-sized, to be honest," Kai replied, making himself comfortable. "So, I'm curious: what do foxes eat, nowadays?"  
"Nowadays? Same as before. What strange wording," Neal muttered.  
"Oh, right; you never got the explanation," Leora responded.  
"What explanation?"  
Kai looked to the black vixen. She shrugged.  
"Tell me, Neal, what do you remember about me?" he inquired.  
"Well, your jokes kind of sucked... You always had some supply of advanced weaponry... Leora had her weird conspiracy theory... Wait, come to think of it, you did get out of a moving bullet train and stand on the elevated track. I think you jumped like fifty feet no problem, too. Is this explanation about that?"  
"I knew I was right to pick the six of you," Kai reminisced. "Yes, it is. Now, it goes without saying that this is sensitive information. Maybe a thousand mammals know of this, and they try very hard to keep it a secret."  
"I won't tell."  
"Leora's 'conspiracy theory' is true. I'm not a wolf. In fact..." He flipped a switch on the disguise box, changing his visage into that of a snow leopard.  
"Whoa, neat!" The white fox thought for a while, furrowing his brow. "So what do you really look like?"  
"Good question." Kai disabled his disguise; Neal narrowed his gaze.  
"What kind of mammal are you? Are you even a mammal?"  
"I am. I trust you've been to the History Museum?"  
"Yeah, never saw anything like you, though."  
"It's kept under wraps. At the museum, have you ever seen the primate exhibit?"  
"Of course."  
"My species is somewhat related to them. Technically, I am a primate, but almost none of us considered ourselves as such."  
"What do you consider yourselves?"  
"Well, we were human above all else, but after that, we once considered ourselves mammals."  
"Once? What do you consider now?"  
"It's just me now, and I don't particularly care much about semantics."  
Neal looked bewildered.  
"There are a lot of fine details. I can try to answer your questions, but I'm sure Lyra can fill in any gaps."  
"I wouldn't know anything, sorry," she interjected.  
"Eh, ask Achernar. He would know."  
"I'll make sure to do that."  
"But first, I really am curious. What do foxes eat now?"

* * *

When they exited, the sun was lower in the sky.  
"Where to, now?"  
"Well, I have one more rabbit that I want to see today."  
"That being?"  
"It's time I paid a visit to Jack."  
"You're not serious, are you?"  
"I need to make sure that he won't be any more trouble."  
"Alright."

They walked a couple dozen blocks through Tundratown, eventually arriving at the asylum. Once they were inside, Leora shivered profusely, brushing the snow from her shoulders.  
"I don't know how a hairless monkey like you isn't cold," she jested; he laughed at her joke, before approaching the desk.  
"I'm here to see Jack Savage."  
"I can handle them," the tanuki spoke, ushering the other doctors away. Once they were alone, he finally addressed them.  
"Procyon and his girlfriend, I take it?"  
"Who else?"  
Alcor looked Leora up and down.  
"Fine, she can come along."  
He led them through the compound, eventually coming upon a room.  
"This is Arina and Taro's room."  
"Yeah, I know," Alcor responded. "Jack spends most of his time here. His room is down the hall if you want to see it."  
"No thanks."  
He opened the door and let them in; the three residents inside all looked to the door.  
"Hello!" the elderly leopard spoke, standing to greet them; his wife stood as well. "Welcome to our home."  
"Mom?" Leora began. "Dad?"  
"Hmm?" Taro voiced, turning to face her. "Hey, you look just like..."  
"Is that you, Leora?" Arina asked.  
"Is it? Can't be, Leora was young. This one is strong and old," Taro responded. "Besides, this one has a special someone."  
Leora looked devastated.  
"It is me," she pleaded. "It's been a while since I last saw you. I've grown up."  
"It's only been... A year, maybe?"  
"Almost ten," Leora corrected.  
"I..." Arina began, crying. "We've missed ten years of your life?"  
"It's not your fault," replied Leora, consoling her mother. "It's..."  
She looked first to Jack, who appeared concerned, and then to Kai, who was shaking his head.  
"It's not your fault," she finished.  
"You look so... different," Taro observed, grabbing her cheeks and stretching them every which way. "Are you an actor?"  
"No, why?"  
"Then... are these scars real?"  
"I wouldn't want to worry you. I haven't felt better in years."  
He hugged her.  
"As long as you're happy." Taro turned to face Kai. "So, who's the wolf? Have we met before?"  
"The name's Garrett." Kai extended his hand to shake, but Taro bowed; Kai followed suit.  
"Ah, where are my manners!" exclaimed the elderly leopard. "I forgot to introduce our guest!"  
He led them over to the sofa, where Jack was seated, wearing asylum garb.  
"Jack?" Kai spoke.  
"Have we met?" the rabbit inquired.  
"I'm sure at one point or another long ago, but I wouldn't blame you if you didn't remember me. How do you feel?"  
"I'm waiting for someone, but I'm not sure who." He walked to the window, and stared into the sky at the moon, before going wide-eyed in a sudden moment of revelation. "Skye, her name was Skye."  
Kai smiled.  
"I'm sure you'll see her soon."  
"I hope so, too."  
"Now that we're all settled, where were we...?" Arina mused.  
"We were having tea," Jack supplemented.  
"Oh, right!" She quickly fished out two teacups, filling them up and offering them to Leora and Kai. "Please, join us!"  
They took the cups and sat down on the open sofa.  
"So, ten years, huh?" Taro began. "Tell us all about them."  
"Where to begin..." Leora muttered.

* * *

They left the three mammals to themselves, returning to the main lobby.  
"It was nice to see them again," Leora spoke. "Even if they'll never remember."  
"Never is a long time. I'm sure we'll figure a cure out."  
"That would be great."  
"Well, look at that. It's dark already," Kai began, as they exited the asylum. "I should walk you home."  
"About that, I was wondering… would you stay the night?"  
"Are you sure about that? I'm a picky eater."  
"Oh really?"  
"Yeah, if what you have doesn't satisfy me, I might have to eat you."  
"Ooh, kinky."  
Kai chuckled and buried his face in one palm.  
"You know that's not what I meant."  
"Hehe, I'll have to make sure that I don't give you anything to eat tonight."  
"Leora!" Kai muttered, hurrying his pace along.  
"Come on, you know I'm only joking."  
He produced a 'hmm' of dissatisfaction before stopping in his tracks.  
"What's wrong?" she inquired.  
"There's someone else I want to visit," he spoke, pulling out his phone and dialing a number.  
"The fox and his rabbit?"  
"No, not yet."  
"Who?"  
"Bellwether."  
"Now you're really joking, right?"  
He shook his head.  
"Do you want me to come with?" she asked.  
"Only if you want."  
"Sure. Isn't she in hiding, though?"  
"It's why I'm calling."  
The ewe picked up; although she was surprised to hear from him again, she sounded excited to see him again.  
"Where is she?" Leora pried.  
"A little village, out of the way. Are you sure you still want to go?"  
"Don't think you're getting away from me that easy."

They hailed a cab and asked the driver to take them to the village; they didn't give an exact address, lest it lead to problems. The ride was uneventful, and Kai overpaid with a large bill, instructing the driver to keep the chance. The village was a quaint little place. Small, identical houses lined each of the three streets that comprised the settlement; a hill in the distance contained several such houses, as well. A narrow, winding road connected the two.

They walked up the hill, reaching a particular house on top. Kai knocked, and the door was answered by a small ewe in new, round-brimmed glasses.  
"You... you came," she spoke.  
"Are you surprised?"  
"I thought you might call the authorities."  
"Why would I do such a thing?"  
"I have a hard time trusting anyone. Come in."  
She opened the door, nearly closing it on Leora.  
"My apologies, I didn't realize you were with him."  
"Don't worry about it," Leora grumbled.  
"Can I have a word with him in private?" Bellwether inquired. She led Kai to the back of the room, near the fireplace. "She won't hurt me, will she?"  
"I heard that," Leora replied in an elevated tone; Bellwether cowered.  
"Why would she hurt you?"  
"I mean, look at her. Big teeth, big claws, covered in battle scars. She's the definition of intimidating!"  
"I can still hear you," Leora interjected, now thoroughly annoyed.  
"Oh, her? No, she's a harmless kitten." He walked up to her, and gently scratched at her neck.  
"Hey, what are you-not in front of her!" She slowly fell to the ground and began softly purring, attempting to roll away.  
"See? Nothing to be afraid of." He helped her up. "She just looks scary."  
"You can never be too sure, especially not with preds," Bellwether responded.  
"I'm interested: what do you have against predators?"  
"When I was young, the local predators would always bully me, my friends, and my family. The local police, also preds, refused to do anything about it."  
"That sounds more like an asshole problem than a predator problem," Leora spoke. "Has anyone ever hurt you since?"  
"At university, one mauled and almost killed me. It took me two months to walk again."  
"In the real world," Kai began, "There are amazing mammals, and horrible mammals. I can attest to that, Leora can attest to that, and you can attest to that. I know that based on how many of them were predators, you judge everyone for the actions of a few. There's not a mammal that wouldn't."  
"I've never seen a bad prey."  
"I'm sure she and many other predators could argue that you're a bad prey. You nearly shunned them into oppression."  
Bellwether didn't respond, looking to the floor.  
"I've lived a life of hate, fearmongering, and warmongering. I nearly made a species extinct overseas. For my own safety, I went into exile for a long time. Coming back to society was the best decision I've ever made. I missed out on all of the wonderful things in life, just because I couldn't see past my own ego."  
"Like what?"  
"Love, for one."  
"I don't think anyone will fall for me," Bellwether spoke, voice laden with sadness.  
"You can love more than a spouse. Children are easy to love, if you need somewhere to start."  
"Are you suggesting I adopt?"  
"If you want to. It's a lot of responsibility, so be careful. I don't want to impose any choice on you, I just want you to be more open."  
"It'll be hard."  
"Hey, you're already talking to me, right? You also saw me murder a rhino in cold blood minutes before, so I'd say you're making progress."  
Bellwether sighed.  
"Thank you for freeing me. I don't know how to repay you."  
"Pay it forward," Kai responded, withdrawing a small brick of cash and setting it on the table. "This is for whatever you wish to spend it on. Counseling might help, therapy to get over the past."  
Bellwether quickly leafed through the bills.  
"This is a lot of money! Why? Where did you get it?"  
"Money isn't hard to get. Don't worry about it. Worry about what matters."  
"I... why are you so nice to me?"  
"Do you want me to be mean?"  
"No, it's just that..." The ewe hugged him. "No one's ever been this nice to me. Thank you."

They bid her farewell and exited.  
"Out of curiosity, why were you being nice to her?" Leora inquired. "You know what she's guilty of."  
"Everyone deserves a second chance. Besides, she looked... I don't know how to describe it, but I wanted to help her."  
"You humans are weird. Normal mammals hold grudges."  
"Oh, believe me, we hold the biggest grudges of all. You inherited our grudge-holding abilities, but not nearly to the extent that we had."  
"Really?"  
"We once divided a country down the middle for forty-four years because the eastern superpowers were unhappy with the western superpowers."  
"Heh, you really are petty. Come on, let's go home. I'm looking forward to giving my new bed-warmer a test run."

* * *

 **Weeks Later**

Nick could hardly contain his excitement. Today was the big day, the day he would officially be alone no longer. Today was his and Judy's wedding day. Weeks of planning went into every facet of the day. They were sure that they wouldn't be able to afford a venue on such short notice, but the generous donations from several of the world's largest pharmaceutical, oil, and media magnates allowed them to find one. At their request, the cake was baked by Gideon Gray, but the rest of catering was provided by a team of professional chefs assembled from the city's finest restaurants.

As Nick stood at the altar, he watched Judy walk down the aisle, led by her father. His heart raced; he never thought this day would come, but it had. She reached him, took his paws in hers, and stared him in the eyes. He was lost in her gaze as the ceremony was conducted. It wasn't until Judy gently tugged his arm that he snapped out of his trance.  
"I do," he spoke. Several more words from their officiant, and Judy responded.  
"I do."  
He and Judy recited their vows, and he waited for the six golden words. After nearly an eternity, they were finally spoken.  
"You may now kiss the bride!" the badger before them proudly stated.  
Nick leaned in and kissed her passionately, holding her tight. The wedding guests cheered. Nick looked to the crowd; on his side, of everyone he invited, only Finnick and his mother showed up, as well as a small handful of ZPD officers. After much coercing, Finnick had agreed to be his best Fox; a good thing, too, as there was almost no one else to take up the role. Thankfully, Judy's family numbered enough that the lack of guests on his end were hardly noticeable.

They partied, danced, and feasted for many hours, until well after the sun had set. Various guests went to them giving their congratulations. Nick looked around, enjoying the festivities; when his eyes passed over the entrance, he caught a glimpse of white. He was fairly certain that neither he nor Judy invited any guest with white fur. He excused himself and walked to the entrance to find his mystery guest. He walked past numerous friends and family, each of which gave their congratulations, before coming upon the entrance; he ducked outside and looked around. Sure enough, his eyes didn't betray him; he saw a white wolf walking away.  
"Hey!" Nick shouted. "Wait up!"  
The wolf stopped and turned around; when Nick came to him, he bowed slightly.  
"I hope you're enjoying the evening's events?" the wolf inquired.  
"Yeah, a lot, but who are you?"  
"Oh, right." The wolf's appearance melted away to reveal Kai.  
"You're here?"  
"Yeah, I had to change out the disguise again. After a press conference like the one I gave, everyone would recognize me."  
"You know, I don't mind you being here; far from it, but where are you going?"  
"I forgot to bring a gift."  
"I'm not sure you need to bring a gift."  
"Ushering me away so soon?"  
"Of course not, but you've already done a lot; for us, and for Zootopia."  
"Then consider this a favor."  
"You're not going to expect anything, are you?"  
"No. I've made you do far too much for me. I think it's about time that you enjoyed your lives and did something for yourselves, instead."  
"Fair enough. You know, as much trouble as you caused us, you aren't half bad."  
"Thanks, I'll take that as a complement." He turned on his disguise once more. "Oh, and give Mrs. Wilde my congratulations."  
"Why would my mother..." Nick began laughing. "I forgot, she's not Hopps anymore!"  
Kai smiled.  
"Take care, it's been fun." With that, Kai walked away.  
"Yeah, you too."  
"Make sure you open my gift at the end," Kai shouted from over his shoulder.  
"Why's that?"  
"Don't you typically save the best for last?" He gave a hearty laugh.  
Nick stared off until the strange wolf had vanished into the night, and continued looking off into the distance for several minutes more. When he turned around, he saw Judy peeking her head through the door.  
"Everything alright?" she asked.  
"Yeah. Our anonymous benefactor gives his congratulations."  
"You mean he came and didn't stop by to say hi?" Judy looked disappointed.  
"He said he'll bring a gift. One apparently so good that we should open it last."  
"I wonder what it'll be."  
"Probably money, or jewelry. He's loaded. I hope, at any rate."  
"Why do you want money? We can get anything we want financed."  
"Well, growing up with less than ample monetary stores makes one tend to want to sit on a large savings account."  
"I'm sure everything will be fine. As long as we don't adopt three-hundred kits, we should be set."  
"I'll be content with one or two, to be honest. I don't think I can deal with three-hundred noisy, crying, slobbering-"  
"Nick!"  
"I'm only joking, Carrots."  
They shared a laugh, and returned to the festivities.

After a long while, when the last guest had strolled away and everything had been cleaned up, they sat down in the same chair, next to a long table piled with gifts.  
"What a day, huh?" he spoke, exhausted.  
"Yeah," Judy replied, leaning in close.  
They leaned against each other for a long time, before Nick opened his eyes. There was one more present on the table than there was before. It was very plain, wrapped in brown paper, tied intricately with a piece of twine.  
"What's wrong, Nick?"  
"That brown box, I don't remember that being there."  
"Huh?" She looked at the table, walking up and looking the package up and down. "Now that you mention it, neither do I."  
"Who's it from?"  
She picked up the package, inspecting it carefully.  
"Doesn't say, but I have a feeling I know."  
"I wouldn't be opposed to opening it."  
"What happened to best for last?"  
"I'm too curious, come on, Carrots!"  
Judy shrugged, before pulling at the twine; once it was undone, she gingerly removed the wrapping, revealing a lidded box. She removed the lid, uncovering a rather small device, accompanied by a letter.  
"What is it?" Nick asked.  
She picked up the letter and unfolded it, reading it aloud.  
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wilde," she began. "It has been a while since we last met. I am a very happy man indeed for having been with you through this journey. Although there were many ups, there were also very many downs. I am sorry for everything that I have caused you. However; there is one last job that I bestow on Mr. Wilde; a seventh task, if you will."  
"Oh, no!" Nick interrupted, burying his face in his paws. "He said he was done with making us do things for him!"  
"This task, however, is completely optional," Judy continued. "I overheard your discussions about adopting when you were still in my living quarters. To see the joy in your faces… Normally, I would shower newlyweds in lavish gifts, but I made the assumption that there was one gift in particular that would make you very happy. Nick: should you choose to undertake this task, I have provided the necessary materials. On the back of this letter is a phone number and a name; attached is the procedure in detail. Atria is a very skilled doctor, and I have no doubt that she can perform it. Your seventh task, Nick, if you wish to undergo it, is to be a father."  
"What?" Nick asked, slowly raising his head from his paws.  
"The device before you is a genetic recombination computer. A bit of blood from each of you, and (in theory, at any rate), you can have a child all your own. Normally, I would have to manually select strands and rungs, but seeing how foxes and bunnies aren't that far apart genetically, a computer could perform the hard work. Speaking of foxes and bunnies, what should we call the offspring: a box, or a funny?" Judy let loose a sensible chuckle before continuing. "A note of caution, however: Mrs. Wilde will have to carry the child to term; I do not know how long it will take, but this will be no ordinary rabbit pregnancy; she will have to eat for a fox and a half on top of what she eats. Atria can discuss the rest of the risks as I'm running out of paper to write on, and I wouldn't want to bore you with needless details. At the end of the day, thank you for the adventure; I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors and I offer you my congratulations for your marriage. If you have problems that Atria cannot solve, have concerns, or simply wish to talk, I'm enclosing my contact information."  
She put the letter down and picked up the device from its container. It was no larger than a breadbox, and was attached to numerous instructions. She looked to Nick; a smile slowly grew on his face.  
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that he did us a favor," he mentioned. Although he suspected that Kai provided the catering and venue, his name wasn't on anything until now.  
"Favor? This isn't a favor, it's a miracle!" Judy responded, crying tears of joy. "What should we name him?"  
"Him? How do you know it'll be a tod?"  
"I'm sure we can arrange it that way," she answered. "I'm thinking 'Kai'."  
"You're not serious, are you? You're naming it after him?"  
"He's a hero, Slick. He saved the whole city, the world, even."  
"If you're gonna name the tod after him, at least use his real name."  
"Real name?"  
"Garrett. Although, I'm not opposed to naming him after someone else."  
"We'll give it some thought."  
They hugged each other tight.

From afar, Kai looked on; a smile grew on his face, as well.  
"Good luck," he whispered, taking off into the night.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

A lone ewe walked through the halls of the asylum. She pulled her cap lower over her head, trying to ignore the random creaks and shouts. Eventually, she reached her target door; using the keys she swiped from the front desk, she slowly opened it. Inside, a rabbit was sound asleep. At the sudden noise of the door creaking, one of his ears shot up; he quickly shot up as well, looking to the source of the noise.  
"Who's there?!" he asked.  
"A friend," the ewe whispered. "I'm here to take you somewhere better than this prison."  
"Prison?"  
"They're locking you up here."  
He looked around.  
"Where are you taking me?"  
"Far away, where it's safe. Come, we don't have much time." She grabbed his paw and led him through the door, locking it once more. She took him to a side entrance, and they absconded into the night. They walked through the snow down the hill before coming to a car parked on the street. They entered, and the chauffeur drove off.

They traveled for several hours, far past the city limits, until they came to a small village on the river.  
"Where are we?"  
"Home," the ewe replied, leading him out. They walked through the dark streets, eventually coming upon a rather cozy house on a hill.  
"Who are you? What are you doing?" the rabbit finally asked, once they were seated in front of a fireplace.  
"The name's Dawn, and I'm offering you a second chance at life."  
"Why?"  
"Someone saved me from my jailers a long time ago. He told me to pay it forward."  
The rabbit looked puzzled, before smiling at the sight of a small wolf pup slowly descend the stairs.  
"Who's that?" he asked.  
"I've reconsidered a lot. Talked with therapists. I've decided to adopt. My question to you is, would you like to live with us? We could use the company."  
The rabbit played with the pup for a while, before turning to face the ewe.  
"I'd be happy to."  
However, as overjoyed as the rabbit felt, he couldn't help but feel that something was dreadfully wrong.

* * *

 **A/N: The End.**

 **At least for a week or two until the semester is over, which is when I can get back to writing. In the mean time, if you have any questions, comments, reviews, etc., feel free to let me know. I'm also taking suggestions for the sequel.**

 **After over 50 chapters and 300,000 words, I've finally done it. I've written something that can be considered a complete story.**

 **Although, I am feeling a little conflicted. The premise of the next story will be Kai and Leora's adventures through the world, exploring all sorts of crazy oddities and relics from the past; more people are likely to make an appearance. No Nick/Judy, or any canon character, really, so I'm not sure whether or not it'll be appropriate to post the next story here. I'll have to give some thought about it.**

 **In case any of you care, my favorite chapters were the introduction of the Court (and the few following chapters) after Lex Talionis, and my least favorite were Sagarmatha.**

 **In the end, I want to give one last thanks to everyone. If there's any other info that I left out here, I might put one more Author's Note chapter to finish my thoughts.**

* * *

To make up for the lack of facts for the previous chapters. If there are any repeats, please do let me know.

Fun Fact #48: Strawberries aren't actually berries, but Bananas, Avocados, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Watermelons, and Kiwi all are.

Fun Fact #49: Scotland's national animal is the unicorn.

Fun Fact #50: It rains diamonds on Jupiter and Saturn.


	53. A Very Sirius Christmas

**Foreword: As I'm sure the chapter title evidenced, it's not the sequel yet. Just a silly gaudy holiday chapter. Lots of fluff, more than usual (and there'll probably be less in the sequel), but it's boring not having anyone interesting to talk to. Real sequel is coming out hopefully around New Year's. I sell my soul in the A/N, and a few important notes at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Savannah Central  
7 AM**

Leora felt herself being shaken awake; when she opened her eyes, she saw Kai above her, big smile on his face.  
"Is the world ending?" she muttered.  
"No, but we need to get ready."  
"Ready for what? It's seven in the morning on a Tuesday."  
"It's Christmas Eve, and we don't even have a tree yet."  
"It's what? Why would we need a tree?"  
"Christmas Eve? The night before Christmas."  
"The night before what?"  
"Navidad? Noel? Yule?"  
"Oh, Yule!"  
"And you forgot that it was tomorrow?"  
"I mean, I had the day off anyways."  
"Meaning?"  
"Other than a few sects, it's pretty much just a work holiday."  
"Oh dear."  
"What?"  
"What kind of godless animals speak English and don't properly celebrate Christmas?"  
"Us apparently."  
Kai sighed.  
"It appears that I have a lot to teach you. Come on, up." He gently shook her again, but she turned away and pulled the blanket over her head. He sighed again, and pulled the blankets away. She hissed slightly, but curled up tighter.  
He scratched at her neck, and she loosened her grip on the sheets; he picked her up and carried her to the washroom. As he approached the bathtub full of water, she began to grip him tighter.  
"Don't! I'm warning you!"  
"Here's how it's gonna go: either you get up and wash yourself, or I wash you. Either way, we have a long list of things to do."  
She grumbled; he stood her up in the tub, pulled her nightgown off, and lowered her into the warm water. She sank down, such that only her snout poked out of the water.  
Kai reached in and pulled her upright; she was very displeased.  
"What is it with cats and water?" he asked, splashing shampoo on her head.  
"You know there's nothing."  
"You used to get up at four; it's three hours past your usual wake-up time. Don't tell me you've devolved into a house cat?"  
"Very funny."  
He began scrubbing her with a small brush that she procured from the rack.  
"I can't imagine having fur. Needing a brush to get clean doesn't sound like my cup of tea."  
"Yeah, well at least I'm not bald."  
He splashed her; she laughed.  
"You really enjoy this, don't you?" she asked.  
"Well, of course. There's nothing quite like giving a cat a bath." He rinsed her head. "You know, I've always wanted a pet cat."  
"So I'm a pet to you?"  
"Do you want to be?"  
She chuckled.  
"Admittedly, I could get used to this."  
As he continued washing her, she looked to him; he paused.  
"So, tell me about this holiday," she spoke.  
"Christmas is one of those holidays that have lost their meaning over the years."  
"How so?"  
"Well, it originally celebrated the birth of the Christian Messiah. Now, it's more about the spirit of giving."  
"Messiah?"  
"I'll tell you the story later. For now, we have a long list of chores to do."  
"Like what?"  
"First, a tree." He resumed his scrubbing.  
"Why?"  
"For the presents, of course."  
"Don't you save presents for the New Year?"  
"Oh, so that's what you celebrate."  
"Yeah, whatever. What's after a tree?"  
"Care to wager a guess?"  
"Presents?"  
"Good girl." He patted her head gently.  
"That feels so condescending."  
"Would you rather I…" He scratched her under the chin, and she sank down again. He fished her out once more, and lifted her upright.

Just before he began to pat her with the towel, she shook herself dry. When she finished, she looked over to a very dissatisfied Kai.  
"Why?" he simply asked, wiping his face.  
"It's a habit, sorry."  
He took a hair dryer and began blowing her dry; she purred in delight until he turned it off.  
"After presents?" she asked, a slight frown on her face.  
"We go share in the festivities with everyone else."  
She paused.  
"That's it?" she questioned, a hint of annoyance in her voice.  
"What do you mean?"  
"You woke me up at seven in the morning on a Tuesday to get a tree, go shopping, and then loaf around for the rest of the day?"  
He chuckled.  
"Perhaps."  
She shook her head.  
"Fine. You're lucky I have the day off." She quickly got dressed, and the pair exited. Leora's first step out was into a foot of snow; she stumbled and fell flat on her face.  
"Are you alright?" Kai asked, helping her up.  
"And it snowed. Lovely." She brushed herself off. "Fucking December, snowing in Savannah Central."  
"Maybe I'll get you a nice pair of boots, so you won't lose your footing."  
"That'll be nice. I hate my paws being cold."

They took the train to the first stop North of the city. From there, they exited into a small village. They walked past the edge of the village and into a fir forest. Once they were decently far, Kai paused, knocking on the trunk of a large fir.  
"Ahh, this really brings Christmas close to a person."  
"Just fantastic, how will that ever fit?"  
"I was only joking. Alright, pick one," he spoke.  
"What should it be like?"  
"Well, it has to be large, yet fit in a house. Preferably conical, but I can trim it."  
She wandered between the sparsely placed trees and dragged her paws over their needles. Kai ran his hand along the trunk of a particularly small, sparsely needled sapling.  
"This little green one seems to need a home," he muttered, absentmindedly.  
Leora glanced over, and chuckled.  
"Good one."  
"You know, the more I look at it, the more I think this one needs me."  
"You don't need brain surgery again, do you? It also doesn't seem to fit your description of large and conical."  
"We can decorate it and use it all the same."  
She waved him away, and resumed her search. She stopped before a more reasonably sized tree, dug out the snow beneath it, and curled around its trunk.  
"Leora, what the hell are you doing?" Kai inquired, amused.  
"Hey, I'm not bringing anything into my apartment that isn't good enough to lie under."  
Kai burst out laughing.  
"You really are devolving into a house cat. Either way, you don't need to worry about that."  
"Why not?"  
"I'm not bringing it to your place, I'm bringing it to Sirius."  
She looked up, craning her neck above the snow.  
"Why?"  
"Because I don't feel like cleaning up after."  
"You sly dog!"  
"Either way, he insisted on hosting the celebration. So, do you like the tree?"  
"Yeah," she muttered, standing up and brushing the snow off of herself. "It's good enough."  
Kai began stroking his chin.  
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.  
"Well, normally presents go under the tree."  
"And?"  
"You were just under the tree." He produced a feeble grin.  
"I cannot believe you just said that."  
He picked her up into his arms and spun around before falling back into the snow; they were both laughing. They rolled down the hill slightly before Leora ended up on top, staring him in the eyes.  
"So what, you want me with a pretty bow tie on top, wrapped only in frilly lace and ribbon?"  
He pulled her close, such that her ear was mere inches from his lips.  
"Maybe after the party."  
"Why not now?" she whispered back, nuzzling his face and running her paws down his body.  
"You're reaching a little South there, Leora, maybe-" He yelped suddenly and pulled her paws away. "It's cold, and we're nearly a foot deep in snow."  
"That won't stop me."  
"Oh, but it'll stop me. Cold paws aren't exactly great for this sort of thing. Maybe some other time, preferably where it's warmer."  
"Aww, you never wanna play along. You're always dissatisfied with something."  
He chuckled.  
"Maybe it's for the better."  
She pecked him on the lips, before getting off and walking back to the fir.  
"So, how are we getting this tree?" she inquired, eyeing it up and down.  
Kai pulled a cable saw from one of his pockets, looped it around the base of the fir, and began sawing.  
"Well, Sirius owns a home in the outskirts of Tundratown. It's about four miles from here."  
"So what, you'll carry it?"  
"Yup. Now, I trust you can manage the presents?"  
"I'm sure I could, why?"  
Kai fished out an enormous quantity of cash from a second pocket and gave it to her. Although she was always amazed at how he could procure impossible sums of money from nowhere every time he needed it, she knew better than to ask.  
"Good. I'll get the tree, you get the presents," he spoke cheerfully. "Feel free to keep the change."  
She chuckled.  
"Why the rush?"  
"He's expecting us at one."  
"We still have a few hours."  
"Yeah, but you have to get back to town, find things that others will enjoy… that sort of thing."  
"You can probably get that tree there in less than half an hour, are you just gonna lounge around until I show up?"  
"No, I have to fetch a few more things from home. The tree will be there, but I'll probably get settled in later than you."  
"May I ask what you're getting?"  
"Oh, human food; particularly festive human food. Sirius asked for some."  
"Does this food have a name?"  
"I was assured that Grace would cook a turkey. Thank God; if he cooked it, I would have throttled him—"  
"You're dodging the question."  
"Sorry, it's just that Sirius doesn't know his spices. Alright, let's see: Wellington, gingerbread, fruit cake, Yule ham, eggnog, some ice cream… maybe a few other things, I'll have to see."  
"I don't know what any of those things were, but they sound interesting."  
"Yeah, it'll be hard carrying it all."  
"I could help, you know."  
"Nah, I'll manage. You really should be off, however. You know where he lives, right?"  
"I have his number, in any case."  
"Alright, I'll see you there."  
She gave him one last hug and scampered back to the train station.

Shortly after, Kai finished sawing the tree; he swung it over his shoulder and headed towards Tundratown. He trudged through the snow until he reached the large wall; he received numerous stares, but ignored them. He continued along the side roads until he reached the suburbs; along a river, over a bridge, and up a hill he walked, until he reached a rather large manor overlooking a field of snow.

He set the tree down and knocked on the door; it was answered by a rather elderly wolf, who appeared as if Sirius had suddenly aged thirty years.  
"Hmm?" the wolf murmured.  
"Ian?"  
"Give me a minute." The wolf shouted something incoherent over his shoulder; shortly after, Sirius appeared. He was wearing a red Santa hat.  
"Ah… Garrett," Sirius spoke in a lively tone. "Come in!"  
"Ian, I don't believe you've introduced me to…" He looked to the elderly wolf who stood arms folded.  
"Right. Garrett, this is Brynach. My father. Dad, this is Garrett."  
"Pleasure," Kai responded, shaking the elder wolf's paw; Brynach held his hand for a moment, and closely inspected it.  
"I see," Brynach simply mentioned, releasing his hand.  
"So, you invited your father?" Kai inquired. The elderly wolf raised a brow.  
"Erm—" Sirius began, before being interrupted.  
"Invited? What, exactly, did Max tell you?"  
"Max?"  
"Maximilian. I'm sure he told you his name was Ian."  
Kai chuckled, glancing at Sirius, who was burying his head in his paws.  
"Maximilian?"  
"He has a perfectly good name, I don't know why he feels the need to shorten it from the wrong end. Now, did he tell you this house was his?"  
Kai could see Sirius subtly shaking his head.  
"I take it it's not?"  
The elderly wolf smacked Sirius upside the head.  
"I assume the tree is part of your festivities? Some Eastern tradition?"  
"Well, Western, but yes."  
Brynach glanced back at Sirius, and then back to Kai, before looking him up and down.  
"You are a peculiar mammal," he stated.  
"Dad!" Sirius interjected, turning to Kai. "You'll have to forgive him, he's like a hundred years old."  
Brynach smacked him again.  
"Your friend is well behaved, why can't you be?" He walked off, grumbling about Sirius' life choices.  
"Sirius, what the hell? You told me that it would be you and Grace."  
"Yeah, I kinda lied."  
"Your father is rather… odd."  
"Yeah, he invents open heart surgery and thinks he's tough shit."  
"I heard that!" they heard from deep in the house.  
"You two need to get along," Kai suggested. "Even if it's only for Christmas."  
"Why? What has he done for me?"  
"Well I assume he raised you."  
"My mother raised me. He was always out on business. Damn shame that he's all I have left."  
"I'm sorry for your loss."  
"Eh, don't be. She lived a long and productive life. My only regret is not making making amends with her before she left us; I don't want to make that same mistake twice. Anyways, I managed to 'borrow' the tree holder and decorations from the archives."  
"What did it take to accomplish that?"  
"Some unbelievably expensive cigars made Achernar turn the other way. Alright, are either of you gonna help me set the tree up?"  
"I can't, unfortunately. I still have to make and bring the food you wanted, and Leora's getting presents." Kai glanced into the house. "Where's Grace?"  
"Oh, she's in the kitchen. Wanna say hi?"  
"It's alright; we'll be back anyways." He dragged the tree in. "I'll see you soon."  
With that, he left.

As Kai ran back along the rooftops in Savannah Central, he saw a very familiar fox skulking the streets; behind him trailed a rabbit, trudging through the fresh snow. He quickly jumped down and began following them. After nearly five minutes, they still hadn't payed him any mind, so he called out to them.  
"Greetings, Officers Wilde. How are you?"  
Nick turned around, his paw moving ever so slightly to his belt.  
"How did you... Hey, it's you!"  
"Long time no see."  
"It's only been a week and a half." Nick and Judy both gave him a hug.  
"Now, you were about to ask something. How did I... what?"  
"I was gonna ask how you knew that she was a Wilde now, but then I recognized you."  
"It's not public knowledge?"  
"Well..." Judy began. "We came to a consensus that the public wouldn't take too kindly to their esteemed rabbit cop marrying their esteemed fox officer. In the precinct I'm Mrs. Wilde, but as far as the records or the city are concerned, I'm still Officer Hopps."  
"And Bogo's alright with you two still being partners?"  
"Well, I imagine he fears retribution from you. Just another lovely gift, I might add."  
"Speaking of gifts, have you..." Kai began, gingerly pointing to Judy.  
She nodded, giving a shy smile.  
"They don't know how long it'll be, but we're expecting."  
"Congratulations!" He quickly checked the time. "Unfortunately, I have to get going soon, so I'll leave you with this."  
He fished out more money from his coat and gave it to them.  
"How is it that you always have money?" Nick asked, hesitantly accepting the money.  
"My printer doesn't run out of ink," he responded, winking. "Merry Christmas."  
He nearly turned to leave, but paused.  
"Before I forget, would you care to join us for a party tonight?"  
"What's the occasion?"  
"Christmas."  
"Erm..."  
"Yule?"  
"You celebrate it? Alright, what time?"  
"Around one, one-thirty."  
"I'm not exactly sure if we can get off that early since our shift ends at two, but we could try to come later, if that's alright."  
"I'll give you a holler."  
They nodded, smiling, before he ran off in the other direction.

* * *

 **Mall of Zootopia**

Leora was busy looking at the selection of earrings in the jewelry section; she had selected several rather nice watches for Sirius, chose several suits, and was busy debating what to get for Grace. Just as she picked up a box, she heard a loud crash from the store entrance. Upon turning to see the ruckus, she saw the rear of an armored van protruding through the glass doors. Several large mammals with their faces covered were exiting, weapons in arms. She drew her tranquilizer and took cover.  
"Alright!" one of them shouted. "Nobody move, if you don't wanna get hurt."  
They quickly began approaching the registers, forcing the tellers to empty them into several duffel bags. Leora drew her phone and dialed the police; as the phone was ringing, she heard loud footsteps approach her. She looked over the shelf she was ducking behind to find a rhino pointing a gun at her. She quickly raised and shot her tranquilizer, but the rhino's fist came crashing down on her. The tranquilizer was knocked from her paws, and she quickly scampered away, avoiding gunfire.

Leora finished the call to the police, and dialed Kai.  
"Everything alright?" he asked.  
"No! There are armed thugs at the mall!"  
"Where are you?"  
"Well—" Her cover was shot at, and she scampered to the next store. "Currently, the automotive shop. There's a rhino tailing me with a gun. There's a janitor's closet about ten feet from me, if I need to hide."  
"I'm on my way. What do you have on hand?"  
"Well, I lost my gun, but I see motor oil, gas cans—"  
"Brake fluid?"  
"… Yeah, I see some."  
"Grab it, and make for the janitor's closet."  
She grabbed the small bottle and ran inside, locking the door after her.  
"Alright, now what?" she asked urgently.  
"Can you see bleach?"  
"Yes, about half a bottle."  
"Where is your attacker?"  
"I think he's coming for me."  
"Dump the brake fluid into the bottle of bleach, shake it up, and throw it at him."  
"What'll that do?"  
"Just trust me."  
She tore the seal off of the brake fluid, took the caps off of both bottles, dumped the contents of the smaller one into the other, and recapped the bleach. She shook it, opened the door, and chucked it at the rhino. The large mammal shot at the container, whose contents doused him.  
"You thought that would—" he began, before spontaneously bursting into flames, yelling incoherently. As soon as she was sure he was unconscious, she ran for his gun, taking it in her paws.  
"Now what?" she asked, taking cover once more.  
"Your attacker, where is he?"  
"The flames died out, he's unarmed."  
"Put a bullet through his head."  
"Are you sure?"  
"If there is a risk that he'll be back up, take him out of the equation."  
She put the gun to the rhino's head and hesitated, before eventually moving the gun down to his lower spine and pulling the trigger.  
"Can you get out?" Kai inquired.  
"No, I'm pinned down. The police are on their way, though." She peeked into the jewelry store. "Shit, I think they're taking hostages."  
"How many of them are there?"  
"Four more, from the looks of it. It's hard to see."  
"Hide, then. Don't make yourself a target. I'm about four minutes out."  
"Alright."  
"Don't hang up."  
"I won't."  
She sat for several minutes, until one of the other thugs approached, curious as to where their friend had gone. Leora didn't move. However, the second thug pointed his gun at a civilian, prompting her to jump out of her hiding spot and riddle him with bullets. He fell over, dead.

She took his gun, which was better suited for her smaller paws, and disassembled the first one.  
"Alright," she heard from her phone. "I'm in Savannah Central."  
A gunshot resounded through the air; she peeked over the shelf to see that they executed a hostage.  
"They're killing mammals, Garrett. Try to hurry."  
"A minute and a half out."  
A second gunshot sounded, followed by more screaming.  
"Anyone else wanna get in our way?" she heard. In the distance, police sirens began to whine.  
"Well look at that, lads. Round everyone up. The feds don't shoot when there are hostages."  
She felt a tap on her shoulder; she nearly shot at its source, only to find Kai.  
"Are you alright? They didn't hurt you?"  
"No, I'm alive. As for them…" Leora motioned over the shelf. "Not so lucky."  
"Hmm. I take it you didn't manage to get any presents before they showed up?"  
"What?! I mean, I was browsing, but come on! They're killing mammals, and you're worried about presents?!"  
"Did you pick anything out, yet?"  
"Well, my cart's in the jewelry section, but try to save the mammals trapped there."  
He chuckled, handing her his coat before walking towards the jewelry store.  
"I'm not doing it for them."  
"What?"  
"No motherfucker is getting between me and the first Christmas I've had in nearly three thousand years."

Kai walked through to the next store; he nonchalantly walked to the jewelry section, finding her basket. As he stooped down to pick it up, he heard someone approach; he hid behind the wall.  
"Who's there?" shouted a rhino, peeking around the corners. He leaned down to check under the shelf, finding nothing. When he stood again, Kai wrapped the cable saw around his neck. He struggled momentarily before the garrote cut through his trachea and arteries, splashing blood all across the diamond rings.

Kai walked to the front of the store, where three wolves were holding their hostages. He could see police lights through the windows.  
"I take it," he began in jest, "That you are the ones that caused this?"  
"Oh, we have a hero on our hands! Jay, round him up."  
One of the wolves approached him, gun pointed square in his chest.  
"Get with the others."  
Kai mimicked a howl. Several of the customers couldn't resist howling along, and the thugs began shaking. While the first mobster was distracted, Kai slashed his throat, before catching the gun and shooting the other two. Mammals began screaming around him, and the police slowly approached.  
"Everyone calm down, you're safe," he shouted. Slowly, they stopped to look at him. "Now, the police are on their way. I want everyone to stay seated in a calm and orderly fashion."  
"Who are you?" one of kits asked.  
He slowly approached her and kneeled, handing her a shiny bauble.  
"Stay safe," he answered, smiling, before standing. "Is anyone hurt?"  
They looked around. Other than the dead, no one was injured. Kai frowned.  
"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."  
The police broke in and quickly surrounded him.  
"And of course, any good deed..."  
"Shut up!" they shouted, before quickly being stopped by the civilians surrounding them. After some lengthy explanation, the police let him go. Civilians slowly began to shuffle out, merchandise in arms.  
"Hey, you have to pay for that!" the manager protested vainly.  
"I'll pay for their purchases," Kai volunteered, procuring an enormous stack of bills from his pocket. "No one deserves to be alone, hurt, or poor on Christmas."  
"On what?"  
He gave the manager the bills, quickly went to the jewelry section once more, took Leora's basket, and left.

After fetching Leora, they quickly absconded, dodging past the police barricade.  
"Thanks," she mentioned. He chuckled.  
"It was nothing. Here." He gave the basket to her, and retrieved his coat. "Get these wrapped. I still have to fetch a few things. I'll meet you back at your place."  
She nodded, walking off. He took off in the opposite direction, back home.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

A knock on the door signaled to Leora that Kai had returned. She opened the door to find that he was carrying a very large crate in his arms, as well as several ribbon-wrapped boxes of his own.  
"Wow, that's… why the box?" she inquired.  
"I'm not an octopus. Besides, I can't exactly carry red meat without attracting attention." He stepped in. "I take it you wrapped all of the presents?"  
"Yeah. What took you so long?"  
"Well, I stopped at a certain fox's home."  
"What for?"  
"Well, I can't exactly hoard Christmas to myself, especially considering the holiday is about sharing; I just got them a tree."  
"Are we ready to set out?"  
"Just about. The good news is, we don't need to take the train. I got us a ride."  
"Oh?"  
"Sirius called up his chauffeur."  
"Nice."

They exited and walked to the limo. The driver nodded, acknowledging them, and held the door for them. As soon as they were settled in, the chauffeur drove off. He made haste and, before long, they pulled up to the manor; Sirius was waiting for them. He helped them bring in the presents, before pulling Kai aside.  
"Just make my dad happy," he pleaded. "This is the first time we've talked in years, and I don't want him to think I'm still worthless."  
"Still? It's not like you were worthless before."  
"He seems to think so. Whatever, it's not important. Please just make him happy."  
"I'll try."  
Sirius looked to the box in Kai's arms.  
"So, what did you bring?"  
He lifted the lid gently. A cold fog seeped out and fell to the floor.  
"Everything you asked for, and more. I still have to cook a few things, but the cold foods are ready."  
"Can I…" He subtly licked his lips.  
"You can't wait ten minutes?"  
His ears drooped.  
"Fine."  
They walked to the kitchen; Grace greeted him, and he bowed.  
"Looking lovely today," he stated, setting the box on the counter.  
"Wow, you actually brought…" Grace pulled him aside. "You saw Brynach here, what are you doing, bringing beef!"  
"I'll not be denied this."  
He grabbed a pan and tossed in several ingredients.  
"Are you cooking cow?" Brynach inquired, walking up.  
"Wait, what?" Sirius inquired, butting in. "What are you talking about?"  
Brynach smacked him.  
"I'm not stupid, Max, I've used an electrocauter before, I know what burning heifer smells like." He looked to the pot. "Now, I'm not exactly alright with this, but I'm not one to spit on tradition." He walked and sat on the sofa, kicking his legs up. "Come… Garrett, was it?"

Kai wrapped the wellington and placed it into the oven, before joining Brynach.  
"You're not exactly a wolf. Tell me the truth."  
"How did you guess?"  
"For starters, your legs have the wrong bone structure. Tail, too. You only have one coat of fur, which is strange, seeing how it's winter; it's much too fine, as well. You don't have any scent typical of the precaudal gland. You also dragged in a lot more snow than the rest of us put together, meaning you have boots; I could tell when you wiped and kicked them on the rug before you entered. No mammal ever kicks their paws on a doormat. The only question left is, where are they?"  
"Perhaps I had the gland removed, or perhaps I shower very well. Maybe I groom my coat because I prefer the look, and use female conditioner to keep it fine and glossy. As for the snow, it's possible I kicked it in when I entered. I could be clumsy."  
"If you were clumsy, you wouldn't walk with that strut; it's almost as if your tail is weightless. On top of that, your eyes are iridescent; either you are terminally ill and your body is depositing minerals in your irises, or you're just not a wolf."  
"Keen eye, for an old dog."  
Brynach smirked.  
"I try to stay on top of things."  
"Now I see where your son gets it."  
"What, Max? He couldn't notice the broad side of a barn, you flatter him too much."  
"I sense bad blood between you two."  
Brynach shook his head.  
"No, I'm just a little disappointed in his career and his lifestyle choices. He's always too… unprofessional. I have no idea how he managed to bag a bitch as hot as her, if you know what I'm saying?" He began to chuckle. "Director of the ZSS, to boot!"  
"Dad!" Sirius scolded. "You can't call every lass a bitch!"  
"Oh, back in my day it was a normal word to describe a normal gal!"  
"Back in your day, mammals were dying of rabies, typhoid, and dysentery."  
"Ah, shut it, Max. You're just a bum that got lucky. I don't know what she sees in you."  
"Well, he's talented," Grace supplemented, leaning heavily on Sirius.  
"Maybe you could convince him to show me some of that talent."  
"Oh, he exudes it at all times."  
Brynach stifled a laugh.  
"I'm sure he does."

The oven timer began to ring.  
"And that's the sound of food," Kai interrupted. "Who's hungry?"  
"You know I am," Sirius spoke up. "I haven't eaten all day."  
"You're always hungry."  
"Yeah, you got me."  
They sat down; soon, they all had food on their plates and wine in their glasses.  
"So, how does this work?" Brynach inquired, folding his paws and resting his chin on them. "Do you say a prayer or something?"  
Kai laughed.  
"Normally, yes, but I'm not particularly religious," he spoke. Sirius nearly began eating, but Kai continued. "So instead, I'll tell you about the history of the holiday."  
He could see Sirius' ears droop.  
"About five thousand years ago, there lived a man, believed by many to be the son of God."  
"From what I know," Sirius supplemented, "It was the 'Christian' messiah."  
Brynach hit him.  
"Stop talking, Garrett was about to tell us about the holiday. So, which God?"  
"Your son spoke correctly. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion, meaning all of its followers believe in one god."  
"Does this god have a name?"  
"Yes, but it's improper to speak them. Most practitioners refer to Him as 'Lord'."  
"How interesting. So, this messiah?"  
"He has different names in different languages, but the original interpretation is 'Yeshua'. The Greeks called him Jesus the Messiah; in their tongue, the Christ."  
"Hence, Christianity comes from that name?"  
"You catch on fast. He was the son of a carpenter, but his birth was divine."  
"Meaning?"  
"His father didn't actually father him. God did."  
"Something tells me that was his wife's excuse for cheating-" Sirius started muttering to Grace, before Brynach kicked him.  
"That's blasphemy, Ian, you could get stoned for saying that," Kai joked.  
"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't need to blaspheme to get stoned, he does that in his spare time, anyways," Brynach spoke.  
"Dad!" Sirius shouted. Grace and Leora laughed.  
"In any case," Kai went on, "He grew up compassionate, caring of everyone, and preached only kindness and love. In the end, the Romans didn't like what he was doing, and so they paid one of his disciples thirty pieces of silver to betray him. In the end, they caught him, and he was crucified. Before he died, he forgave his betrayer, for reasons mortal men may never understand. Three days later, he arose from his grave. Not long after, he ascended to the heavens to be with his Father."  
The guests were subtly nodding their heads.  
"Well, that's the theory, anyways," Kai continued. "They never let me read a bible, and as such, I never had any scholars to converse with. I was forced to piece it all together from archaic scriptures, so my interpretation might be inaccurate or shaky."  
"So what's the holiday about?"  
"It celebrates his birth. The twenty-fifth of December was chosen as it was the winter solstice in the Roman calendar, signifying that he was born on the shortest day; rather, every day after his birth would be longer. The point of the holiday is to celebrate his kindness and his good nature. Hence, spending time as friends and family, sharing food, wine, and gift-giving. It's why the name of the holiday is Christmas: it comes from Christ's mass, the feast of Christ."  
"And here I thought Yule was a purely Pagan thing," Brynach responded, surprised.  
"Well, a lot of the traditions come from Pagan beliefs. The gift-giving, the tree, Santa, and a few other things. The common theory is that the church combined them in order to spread Christianity, but at this point, it's purely speculation."  
Everyone looked at him expectantly.  
"You can eat now," he spoke, chuckling.  
Everyone began to eat, save for Kai; he watched as Sirius began scarfing down his food. Brynach, noticing this, gently nudged his son.  
"I'm sorry for his bad manners," he apologized.  
"Don't worry about it, let him enjoy his food."  
"No, you know what? I've had it. It's been what, seven years? Maybe even longer, and he's still worthless. He's still a messy eater, he still doesn't have a real job, and he still never finished medical school."  
Kai set down his fork and knife, stood from the table, put on his coat, and began walking for the door.  
"Wait, where are you going?" Leora asked.  
"I can't watch this. I came to enjoy a holiday with friends, not to watch a father hate his son." He opened the door. "Don't let me interrupt you. Feel free to finish the food and redistribute any presents meant for me." He stepped out. "I'm going home."  
"Wait!" Brynach called, running to the door. "You can't leave!"  
"I can, and I will."  
"Just step in for a moment, please!"  
Kai stepped back in and shut the door.  
"I don't know what you see in him, Ian," he seethed.  
"He's my father!" Sirius objected.  
"So what, you're obligated to love him?"  
"No, I love him because I know he can change!"  
"Change?! Why would I need to change?!" Brynach roared.  
"You hate your son," Kai accused.  
"He's a law school drop out!"  
"Actually, dad…" Sirius began.  
"He's got two doctoral degrees," Kai finished.  
Brynach turned to face his son.  
"You never told me that. Is that how you met these mammals? Law school?"  
"Grace is director of the ZSS, Leora's a cop, and I'm a general," Kai supplemented. "Law school has nothing to do with it. I met them all in my work independently, and we stuck together like glue."  
"So he didn't even go out to meet her? I figured."  
"He's a senator, mammals come to him."  
"A senator? Why didn't you tell me this?!" Brynach demanded.  
"I wanted you to love me for who I am, not for what I do," Sirius muttered, nearly inaudibly. "In any case, I was sure you saw me give speeches."  
"Why would I go out if I didn't know you were a senator?"  
"They get televised pretty frequently, I just assumed that you would catch at least one of them."  
"I don't pay for cable to watch deadbeats."  
"He could have you killed in an instant!" Kai roared. "If he wanted, you would be one phone call from death!"  
"He couldn't."  
"I would kill you if he asked me. I'm sure Grace would, too. Even if I refused, he still owns a quarter of the city, half of the crime, and all of the gangs. At least one of them would do it for petty change. You wondered how the three of us are acquainted with him. It's because we respect the authority he holds. It's a damn shame that you can't see him for what he is." He turned and left.  
Leora stood.  
"I'm leaving, too. I'm sorry." She put on her coat and walked to the door. "Plenty of room at out place Ian, if you still want to enjoy the festivities."  
"I…" Sirius began.  
"You coming, Ian?" Grace piped up, also heading to the door.  
Sirius took a remorseful glance at his father, before standing.  
"Wait!" Brynach started. "Please!"  
"I'll be back to help clean up, I promise," Sirius spoke.  
"Maximilian!"  
Sirius exited, unable to look to his father.  
"Max!"  
Still no response; Brynach stepped out.  
"Ian!"  
Sirius stopped.  
"I'll catch up to you guys later," he shouted to the rest of the party, before turning around and walking back.  
As soon as he was in arm's reach, Brynach pulled him into a hug.  
"Why?" he asked of Sirius.  
"Why what?"  
"Why didn't you tell me that you accomplished so much?"  
"I didn't have the courage. The last time I told you I wanted to go into law, you beat me and kicked me out."  
"Then why did you ask me to be with you now?"  
"When I read in the paper that mom died, I felt crushed. I didn't want you to go before I could apologize."  
"Read in the paper… You mean the office didn't call you?"  
"I wanted you to call."  
Brynach buried his face in his son's shoulder.  
"All this time, I never knew. You were on a good path and I never knew."  
Sirius gently patted his back.  
"Come on. The food's getting cold."  
"You would stay with me?"  
"Come on, Dad."

The pair entered and sat back down at the table.  
"So, tell me more." Brynach poured Sirius a glass of wine.  
"Like what, where do I start?" Sirius replied, astonished.  
"Well, for starters…" He looked at the food on the table, and then to Sirius, who was munching on the wellington. "I see you picked up cannibalism. And did Garrett mention that you were a crime lord?"  
Sirius provided a nervous laugh.  
"I… there are a few things that I can't tell anyone. And you unfortunately asked the wrong questions."  
"Oh come on, what's the worst that could happen?"  
"Well, they could kill you."  
"They?"  
Sirius sighed.  
"Just over two thousand years ago, predator and prey were sworn enemies."  
"That's what they teach in schools."  
"Do they tell you how they got together?"  
"They spent a week drafting out a treatise."  
"Well... that's only half true."  
"And the whole truth?"  
"It's very long, but I'll see how I can explain. You see..." Sirius trailed off to think for a while. "What if I told you that the mammals that formed an alliance were the leaders of their clans?"  
"I would expect that."  
"What if I also told you that they held secret meetings every so often, that they formed a secret council?"  
"Well, it's not unbelievable."  
"And if I then told you that they passed the seats in their council through family: if there were no suitable descendants, they passed the role to friends, proteges, advisers, and close allies?"  
"It might be a little far-fetched."  
"Now, if I concluded by saying that one of these seats passed on to me?"  
Brynach's face became very plain.  
"I'd never believe you."  
"It's true," Sirius insisted. "But before I tell you more, you have to promise not to repeat this information to anyone else. If they find out that you know, they'd kill you, and they'd kill me."  
"I promise."  
"Now, where to begin..."  
"Does this organisation have a name? Who are its members?"  
"Nearly everyone you can imagine in a position of power, or at the head of a company."  
"So Mayor Lionheart?"  
Sirius let out a hearty laugh.  
"No, the Lionhearts are our official scapegoats. As for the name, we call it the Astral Court."  
"Sounds kinda pompous."  
"Well, it's supposed to be poetic. In the same way that the stars guided our ancestors in the Great Dark, we guide mammals now. Beacons of light and hope, and all that nonsense."  
"How cliche."  
"Tell me about it, I wasn't too fond of the name. We all have our own names, too; codenames, if you will. I'm still not too fond of mine."  
"What is it?"  
"Sirius. You can imagine all of the jokes that it brings."  
"What, are you serious?"  
Sirius slammed his face into the table, while Brynach burst out laughing.  
"Jokes like that," Sirius muttered. His father ruffled the fur on the top of his head.  
"Come on, it was light-hearted."  
"Yeah, sure."  
"You know, if I may ask..." Brynach started. "Why did you cut us out?"  
Sirius sighed.  
"I guess I just got sick of both of you telling me how worthless I was for not going into medicine. I know that you were just concerned about my future career, but I just wanted you to understand that there are more careers than in medicine. The last straw was when you socked me in the eye, just because I waved Mom away. I just... I was done. I left."  
Brynach looked down in shame.  
"I was content never talking to you again. At least, I thought I was," Sirius continued. "In the end, when I found out that Mom died, I felt awful. I wanted to make amends, but I never got the opportunity. I didn't want to make the same mistake with you."  
Brynach wrapped an arm around his shoulders.  
"I regret not being here earlier, but I'm here now. Let me in on your life again, please."  
Sirius smiled.  
"I will."  
"Start from the beginning. I'm sure your cannibalism and your missing eye have perfectly valid explanations."

* * *

 **Forty Minutes Later  
Just Outside**

"So Garrett, how much longer do we have to sit in the snow?" Leora inquired irritably, shifting her position.  
"From the sound of it, not much longer."  
"And did you have to bring them along, too?"  
"Hey," Nick muttered. "I'm glad to see you, too."  
"And what's with his costume?"  
Kai chuckled.  
"I had them tag along because they're good company, and Nick's in red because I thought the joke was too good to pass up."  
"Joke?" Judy inquired.  
"Old Saint Nick."  
Nick rolled his eyes.  
"What are they talking about in there?" Grace asked.  
"Well, right now it sounds like Sirius is telling the story of how he lost his eye and met you. He's really making himself the hero."  
"Oh, is he?" she responded, amused.  
They suddenly heard howling from inside.  
"Ah, Christ, now they're howling."  
Grace howled along.  
"Not you, too!"  
Nick clamped Grace's snout, quickly silencing her.  
"Sorry, it's instinct," she muttered.  
"Well, I think that means they're done." Kai stood, helped Leora up, and went to knock at the door. It was answered by Sirius.  
"I thought I heard howling outside. What are you guys doing here?" He looked to the fox and rabbit. "You invited company? What's with his getup?"  
"Do you honestly think that I'd just leave?"  
"I—" Sirius began.  
"Or that I didn't know what I was doing?" Kai stepped in, stomping the snow off of his boots. "I thought I mentioned that nothing was getting between me and Christmas. Especially not Mr. Ebeneezer Cynewulf."  
"So you just… hung out. For an hour."  
"Precisely." He pulled Sirius' Santa hat down over his ears, before walking back to the tree. "Well, I asked them to wait, I had an errand to run."  
"What kind?"  
"Well, I fetched Nick and Judy, and..." He thrust a bottle of pills and a syringe into Sirius' paws. "A little present, from me to you. Merry Christmas, Sirius."  
"What's this?"  
"Your cure."  
"Cure, cure…" He rattled the bottle. "Wait, you mean for—"  
"I wouldn't mention it in front of your father. I don't want you to worry him."  
"Wouldn't want me to worry about what?" Brynach inquired, walking up to them.  
"You're a doctor, right? Then you should know."  
"I'm a cardiac surgeon, and nothing looks wrong with him."  
"So I take it you've never heard of Cynewulf Disease?"  
Brynach gave a very uneasy look towards his son.  
"Ian…"  
"Well, a cure means I don't have to worry about it anymore."  
"Please, let me know! How bad is it?"  
"I've gotten treatment, but it would have been terminal."  
The elder wolf gasped.  
"In fact," Sirius continued, "The only reason I'm alright is because of Garrett."  
"You saved him?" he inquired of Kai.  
"Well, I wouldn't call it saved—" Sirius protested.  
"I more promised it and then used it as leverage than actually gave it to him, but yeah."  
"So you're this mythical… What was it again, Ian?"  
"Human," Sirius supplemented, "But you can't tell anyone."  
"Yes, I'm the mythical human," Kai muttered dryly. "We rode unicorns with the leprechauns."  
"Yes, that," Brynach continued. "How old are you?"  
Kai hung his coat and took a seat at the table.  
"Let's not worry about that. The food's getting cold."  
Brynach smiled.  
"Have a seat," he spoke. "I'm sure that there's enough for everyone."  
He seated them at the table, before reheating several dishes.  
"Before I say anything else, I wanted to apologize. First, to everyone that I scared away. I was wrong. Most importantly, I want to apologize to my son." He hugged Sirius. "I hope you can forgive me."  
"Of course, we're family."  
"They're not," Brynach responded, pointing to the others.  
"Eh, close enough. Come on, we have a feast to enjoy."  
They both stood to distribute the food; everyone ate in relative silence for a while.  
"Now," the elderly wolf started, "I've heard how my son met most of you, but I'm curious: what are the city's esteemed rabbit and fox officers doing here?"  
"Well..." Nick began. "It's funny you should mention. We met Garrett in our line of duty."  
"I thought I heard of you two being sent after the Night Howler Killer."  
Nick and Judy exchanged a look.  
"Speaking of which," Brynach continued. "You're not going to kill any of us, are you?"  
Kai chuckled.  
"Not any of you, and certainly not on Christmas Eve."  
"How did he know, though?" Nick inquired.  
"I kinda told him everything," Sirius admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.  
"Everything, everything?"  
"Well, I don't know much about you two, except that you're married and expecting."  
Nick and Judy both shot a dirty glare at Sirius, who cowered.  
"I'm curious as to how. I was under the impression that rabbits and foxes couldn't interbreed."  
"Well, as it so happens, you would be absolutely right. We can't."  
"Then how?"  
Nick gave a nervous chuckle.  
"The miracles of modern science?"  
"Modern science?"  
"Well, advanced science and genetic computing," Kai supplemented. "For me, modern science. For you... centuries ahead."  
"Oh, Dad, you'll never believe it," Sirius started. "He has this miracle red-"  
Kai pinched his mouth shut.  
"Zip it, please."  
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.  
"Moving on..." Brynach muttered. "How long until you're due?"  
"Well, I can't say. Our doctor's best estimate is forty-three days, but it could be anywhere from twenty-nine to fifty-eight, or perhaps more, or even less. There aren't really any guidelines here, it's mostly unknown territory."  
"I see. If you ever need any help, I want you to know that I'm a doctor, too."  
"Dad, you're a cardiac surgeon."  
"Hey, have a heart."  
Sirius rolled his eyes, and leaned his head on his paw.  
"Ladies and gentlemammals, the king of dad jokes."  
Everyone laughed.  
"You know," Kai began. "I have a feeling that this will be the best Christmas ever."  
"Oh, I'll have plenty of chances to ruin it," Sirius piped up.  
Everyone laughed again.

They finished up the main course, before feasting on the dessert as well.  
"What is this stuff?" Nick inquired, prodding with a spoon at the white, vanilla-scented, cold dessert before him.  
"That would be ice cream," Kai supplemented. "You should try some."  
"What's in it?" he asked, putting himself a small amount.  
"Try it, first."  
Nick carefully drew the spoon to his mouth, and swallowed.  
"It's really sweet. Pretty good, actually."  
"So you would eat more?"  
"I don't see why not. So what's in it?"  
"Cream, churned cold."  
"And what's in cream?"  
"Cream is the fattier portion of milk."  
Nick paused, spoon nearly touching his lips.  
"And, if I may ask, where did you get it?"  
"It's artificial."  
"Meaning?"  
"I fabricated it late last night, from various proteins and fats."  
"So it's not really milk."  
"No, it's virtually identical in every way to cow's milk. It just isn't."  
Nick shrugged, continuing.  
"Moving on," Sirius quickly interrupted, speaking between spoonfuls of ice cream. "What about the presents? They've been shining..."  
He trailed off, dropping his spoon and clutching at his head.  
"Yeah, you shouldn't eat ice cream too fast," responded, chuckling. "But, if everyone else is ready, I suppose we could ignore the fact that it's still only Christmas Eve and open the presents."  
Everyone shrugged.  
"Alright." He motioned for them to follow, and they all sat before the tree. "Who wants to go first?"  
"Me!" Sirius volunteered. Kai rolled his eyes.  
"I figured as much. Alright, find your gift."  
Sirius eagerly searched beneath the tree, finding two presents addressed to him. One was rather large and very rectangular, whereas the other was small and more square in shape. He set the smaller one aside, and took the larger one in his paws; he held one claw up and put it to the wrapping, before Kai stopped him.  
"Care to read the note?"  
Sirius paused, brow slightly furrowed, before taking the note and reading.  
"'Dear Sirius: to the wolf who has everything, what else is there to give...?'," he read, before wagering a few guesses of his own. "Cash? Food?"  
"Open it up."  
Sirius tore the wrapping into ribbons, revealing a large cardboard box beneath. He pulled the lid off, and his large smile quickly went into an expression of disappointment. Inside the large box lay a very small note. He picked it up and read.  
"'...Except the company of his friends and family'." He began to laugh.  
"Hey, read the other side."  
Sirius flipped the note over, reading the other side as well.  
"'Just kidding. Open the other box'. How did you know I would start with the large one? Or that the note wouldn't flip over in transit? They don't both have a note in them as a joke, right?"  
"Just open the other box."  
Sirius tore it open, finding two wristwatches: one analogue, and a strange digital one.  
"Two watches?"  
"I never see you wear one. So, Leora got one, and I figured I'd make one."  
"What good will two watches do?"  
"Well, one's for the time, and the other is for everything else."  
"So what, it's a spy watch?"  
"Something like that." Kai withdrew a small device from his pocket and threw it to Grace. "GPS, too, so you don't lose him."  
"So it's just a tracking collar, then?" Sirius upstarted.  
"Yeah."  
He fell backwards.  
"No faith at all."  
Everyone chuckled.  
"Grace?" Kai spoke.  
She picked out a small gift addressed to her, and glanced at the card; only her name. She opened it to find a dark leather choker, immaculate in every way.  
"Hey, like the one that Ian wears, thank you!"  
"You know, I saw that," Brynach stated. "Why do you wear a collar, Ian?"  
Sirius gave a nervous chuckle.  
"About that..."  
"It's not for... bedroom play, is it?" Brynach asked, worried.  
"DAD!"  
Everyone laughed.  
"No, it's not like that!"  
"Dare I ask?"  
"Come on, Garrett, you can explain!"  
"I can't say I know what you're talking about," Kai replied slyly.  
The laughter grew.  
"No! It's because he's like three thousand years old, and mammals were pets back in the day, and they wore collars, and I'm not making any sense, am I?"  
"Not one bit," Grace responded, patting him on the head.  
"Don't worry, Sirius, I'm only joking." He walked up to the wolf lying on the floor and gave him a light scratch. "Moving on; Nick, Judy, I made sure to get you a couple of things."  
"We don't really need more money, honestly!" Judy protested, smiling shyly and leaning into her husband.  
"Oh, I packed more practical things."  
They reluctantly found the presents made out to them, and opened them. Nick and Judy retrieved small badges from inside of the boxes.  
"Are these..."  
"Work as an officer can be rather dangerous. Although I can't imagine you would find missiles flying at you, you never know when a criminal will pull a gun."  
Nick produced a sincere smile.  
"Thank you."  
"Now, Brynach."  
"You got me something? I don't see anything else left under that tree."  
"Of course." He retrieved an envelope from inside of his coat, handing it to the elderly wolf. He quickly opened it to find three small slips of paper.  
"Tickets?"  
"I read that you were a fan of Gazelle. I know for a fact that they are, too. I figured you would like to take your son and his fiance, but the tickets are yours. Do with them what you will."  
"These are tickets to her New Year's concert! How did you get these?"  
"Oh, when you extort the chief of police, you can get any tickets you want."  
"Garrett, you didn't really extort Chief Bogo, did you?" Nick inquired, an eager look on his face.  
"Of course not, I just paid a visit to the owner of Animalia and three other entertainment networks, and we worked something out."  
"This mammal wouldn't happen to be-"  
"In the Court, of course. If you control the media, you directly influence the public. It just so happens that I'm a mythical creature, and so I directly influence the Court."  
"Say, if you can get tickets, do you think we could..." Judy started, trailing off.  
"If you ask, I'm sure I can."  
"Could you get us... what, four?" she asked of Nick.  
"Yeah, four," he replied.  
"Four tickets?"  
"Just tell me which concert, and I can make it so."  
"Well, would it be possible to get us tickets to the New Year's show?"  
"On such short notice?"  
They looked disappointed.  
"Of course I can," Kai continued. "Although I'm curious, why four?"  
"I can extort a few favors from Bogo and Clawhauser for those tickets."  
"I could extort any favor from anyone if you wanted. Any special reason?"  
"Eh, it's a little game we play at work."  
"I can attest to that," Leora piped in. "Grizzoli still owes me coffee, and Bogo owes me at least a month of paid time off."  
"Does he?" Kai spoke. "Maybe we can finally take that vacation to Japan."  
"Could we?" she asked, eyes lighting up.  
Kai shrugged.  
"Merry Christmas."  
She leaped up and hugged him, before pausing and eyeing him suspiciously.  
"This wasn't the original present, was it?"  
"I was winging it," he admitted. "I don't really know what you want."  
"You've known me for months, how do you not know?"  
"I mean, tell me and it's yours."  
She looked around.  
"Maybe when we get back."  
"Say, speaking of getting back, what time is it?"  
"Almost eight," Sirius responded, checking his new watch.  
"Wow, already?" Kai stood and fetched his coat. "Well, I think we've overstayed our welcome. I'm sure your father wants to have some more personal time."  
"No, it's alright, you can stay," Brynach spoke.  
"I can't bother you any longer."  
"It's not like you have a prior obligation," Grace inputted.  
"Oh, I don't know about that," he responded in a smug voice. "I have a few impossible tickets to procure, and an overgrown house cat to take care of."  
"Hey!" Leora protested, before being swept up onto his shoulders.  
"You guys know any places I can get balls of yarn, or maybe some catnip?"  
"Hey, nepetalactone is a schedule IIn controlled substance," Leora protested. "Even if it wasn't, I can't sense it anyways."  
"You must be the only cat in the city that can't get anything from catnip," Nick mentioned.  
"My family's from Edo."  
"Yeah, cats are weird there."  
"Oh, come on!"  
"Well," Kai resumed, "I'll just have to acquire some Garden Valerian, or maybe some Tartarian Honeysuckle."  
"I don't even know what those are."  
"Well then, let's hope they're not extinct." He opened the door and turned back.  
"Mr. and Mrs. Wilde, if you want a ride, you could tag along."  
"Sure." They also grabbed their coats and left.  
"Charming mammals," Brynach mentioned, once they were gone.  
"Yeah. Grace and I should probably get going," Sirius said.  
"Feel free to stay the night. I have plenty of room here."  
"I..."  
"Please stay the night. Plenty of leftovers, I can't possibly eat this all by myself."  
"I don't know."  
"I don't want to be alone."  
"Well... I suppose we can spend the night."

* * *

 **Savannah Central  
9:30 PM**

Kai had finally settled in, kicking his feet up on a leg rest. Leora had curled up on the sofa next to him.  
"You know, I'm curious," Kai started. "If you break a bone, do you get a CAT scan, or a PET scan?"  
"Oh, ha ha. We get X-rays."  
"You know, it's about time you went to bed. You woke up fairly early."  
"You must have slept an hour in the past week."  
"Something like that."  
"Come on, you could join me."  
"I could."  
"I do need my personal bed warmer in these trying winter months."  
Kai gave a weak smile.  
"Alright."

* * *

 **6 AM  
The Next Morning**

Kai opened his eyes to find that Leora wasn't in the room. He stood and went into the next room, and found her drinking coffee and reading the paper.  
"You're up early." He stretched profusely.  
"I'm telling you, I'm not a lazy house cat. Besides, I think you overslept."  
"Hey, I'm catching up on lost sleep. Several weeks at only ten minutes a day is very uncomfortable."  
"Why do it, then?"  
"Someone has to take care of you."  
"Speaking of taking care of me, I think I finally thought of a Christmas present."  
"Oh?"  
She walked up to him and traced a claw along his shoulder, before sticking a decorative bow onto his chest.  
"I want you."  
He raised a brow.  
"So soon? We've hardly known each other sincerely for a month."  
"I think it's long overdue."  
He tilted his head from side to side, contemplating his choices.  
"Fine, but first, I'll be right back." He exited the apartment momentarily, before coming back in a minute later, walking back up to her. He gently traced his fingers down her hips before suddenly pressing the palm of his hand flat against her belly. She instantly recoiled away and leaped up, slamming into the ceiling before collapsing on the floor.  
"What the hell?!"  
"Cold paws aren't so fun now, are they?"  
She grumbled.

* * *

 **A/N: I considered a lemon, but decided not to based on prior feedback. Maybe when I write another story. Merry Christmas everyone! This note is gonna be long.**

 **As stated in the foreword, this chapter was just a gap filler, as it's been nearly three weeks since I put up the last chapter. I'm already working on the sequel, and I should be done by around the New Year. I'm also still taking suggestions, if any of you want to see anything special in the coming months. I just figured I'd do something festive and gaudy for the holidays. I've also posted the story in full to AO3. It's not formatted properly as there's no bolding, underlining, or horizontal lines, but it's there.**

 **Now normally this is where I'd complain about my health, but I have more important things to discuss. First, on a lighter note, I want to do a referral for another author** **, wilberarron. Normally, I'd worry about losing readers, but to be honest, if you were here only for my charming personality, that's pretty funny since I'm neither charming nor comedic. He's been at it for longer than I have, and he writes about Bambi and several other works; he often writes creative 'what if' scenarios. I was told by one of his friends that he was considering quitting writing; that's never something that I like to hear. That goes for all of you; be creative! You have nothing to lose. However, I digress. If his work sounds like something you might want to read, give him a lookup. I can't make any guarantees, but who know, you might enjoy it.**

 **On a much more serious note, Jackofallfables, my esteemed proofreader, idea bouncer, fellow author, and friend, needs help. He was injured in a car wreck around Thanksgiving, and thanks to the miracles of American insurance and bureaucracy, it took him until a week ago to find out that they won't pay for anything. We organized a gofundme to help him cover at least some of the costs. I know it's asking a lot, and don't let me try to talk you into anything you don't want to do, but if any of you have anything that you're willing to spare, or can share the link, please do so. I've already put together whatever spare cash I can accrue, but one college student's pocket change certainly can't pay medical expenses, let alone a car loan:**  
 **gofundme. com(slash)help-us-pay-off-our-car-loan**  
Wow, formatting that link on FF is a bitch, it took me seven or eight tries to get it to work. I reread the guidelines twice, so I think I'm in the clear posting the link, but let me know.  
 **Now, for the important details:  
1)** Despite my rousing speech, you should only ever consider donating if you both are able and willing; don't let any sob story ever convince you to donate if you are unwilling, unable, or unsure.  
 **2)** Also, to make this perfectly clear, none of this money goes to me. I probably won't ever accept money for anything I do here, but if you love me so much that you want a custom story, a poem, what have you, just PM me, I'll probably be happy to type up a quick piece for you.  
All this fine type makes me feel lawyer-y. Maybe I should have gone to Law school, or Med school, but I digress again. **  
** **Back to Jack, he also writes his own fic, Love is Not Fur-Deep, a Zootopia fic similar to my own in that it includes humans. His spin on the world and the story is actually pretty interesting, and I would recommend giving it a read.**

 **Now that the important things are out of the way, I can complain about my life. My schedule for next semester sucks really bad, because I can't seem to secure an appointment to declare my major. No major declaration, no classes for my major. I'm stuck filling secondary requirements until then.**

* * *

 **Also, I was going to post this chapter yesterday, but I'm so happy I waited until today. Have you ever noticed how guest reviewers are so nice? Just the nicest people that ever existed. In fact, I found the first half of this gem in my mailbox at 3:36AM, and then the second half at 3:48AM.**

"So he can't kill a bear when he can kill anything else and now his fucking conscience is telling not to take the easiest way and kill them all and he agrees, how much more weak and retarded is the author gonna make him"  
"Go fucking shoot yourself, you pathetic piece of shit that can't write and should be tortured in the worst possible way for existing and writing this pile of crap"

 **Now, notice how nice he is! He's telling me to shoot myself, because he obviously knows that drug overdose and hanging are extremely painful; how thoughtful of him. In addition, he was also kind enough to continue reading for at least twelve minutes despite the fact that he obviously hated it; he was even kind enough to leave two reviews! Let's give this brilliant, well spoken young man the round of applause he deserves. The only question left is whether I should allow the review, or deny it.**


	54. Book 2: Chapter 1

**Sahara Square  
Two Months Later  
Noon**

A leopardess was sitting along with an arctic wolf on a bench, just before the dunes; both in police uniform, they were panting from the heat. The officers were on their lunch break, but only the wolf found any will to eat, and even then it was in the form of lapping at a small block of plain ice on a stick, purchased from a street vendor.  
"It's hot as hell," the wolf piped up, hiding in the shade, which did little to help. "Say, Leora, how much do you think the city spends in heating every year?"  
"Too much," the leopardess responded, fanning herself with her paws.  
"I swear, Bogo sent us here, me especially, just because he enjoys seeing us roast."  
"Rufus, your conspiracy theories aren't anywhere near up to par."  
"Why do you think we're not on SWAT anymore?"  
"To keep us safe." Leora leaned back and closed her eyes. "But hey, I can't complain. Pay's still good."  
"Not that any of us need it," Rufus grumbled.  
"But you haven't quit yet."  
"What would my wife think if I just straight up quit? She still thinks it's strange that I got such a large bonus. She suspects I'm a thief."  
"Speaking of your wife, how come none of us have met her?"  
"You never go to Tundratown. She also doesn't go out much."  
"Sole moneymaker?"  
"No, my pup works a job at Pawson and Jace."  
"Whoa, hold up. Just how old are you that your pup works?"  
"Forty-five."  
"How young were you when you—"  
"Alright, unpaid internship. He's turning twenty in April. It'll be a real job soon enough."  
Leora stifled a laugh.  
"Oh yeah? What about your boyfriend?"  
"You mean Garrett?"  
"Rumor on the street is that he straight up ditched you."  
"He didn't ditch me, he went on a 'business trip'."  
"To where?"  
"Around the world."  
"Sounds like a vacation to me."  
"He's looking for more of his kind. If he made it, there's a decent chance more did, too."  
"Why didn't you come along?"  
"He said it would be cold. Of course, I reminded him that I work in Tundratown, but he promised it would be colder."  
"I could sure as hell go for some cold right now."  
"Speaking of cold, that ice pop looks pretty good."  
"It's flavorless."  
"Yeah, but it sure beats a hundred degree weather. I think I'm gonna go get one, too."

The leopardess stood and walked across the road to the vendor, fishing out several bucks from her wallet. As she waited in line, she heard Rufus call out to her.  
"Get me another one, please!" he shouted. She retrieved several bucks more.  
Before long, she made her purchase, and returned to her partner's side. As they sat, licking their treats, she saw a coyote double over and vomit.  
"Oh, great," Rufus remarked. "I just wanted half an hour—"  
"Come on, we have to help." She walked up to the heaving canine and bent over to look him in the eyes. "Everything alright?"  
He only breathed heavily in response. A crowd quickly began to form around her.  
"Alright, give us some room," she shouted, turning back to the coyote; the predator was now on all fours, growling. "Uh, Rufus?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"You brought your—"  
Before Leora could finish the sentiment, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She grabbed at it with her paw, before looking to see a smidgen of blue liquid on her pad. She immediately began to feel nauseous and weak.  
"Rufus!" she shouted, stumbling. "It's the shooter! Clear the area! Get me—"  
The coyote pounced, pinning her to the ground; Leora's partner socked her attacker in the jaw, before dragging her to cover. He quickly administered his Night Howler field antidote before radioing for backup.

Leora slowly got back up, carefully sticking to cover. Blue began staining the sand as more mammals fell ill. She quickly tranquilized anyone that was hit to remove the threat of a surprise attack. She slung one over her shoulder and took a second in her arms before making a break for safer ground. A pellet whizzed by her head, grazing her ear, before splashing onto the building beside her. She had heard the sniper's aim was good, but this was unreal.

She entered the first shop she could find, and dropped them both into chairs before running back out. She took another two mammals, running for the same shop. This time, a second pellet hit her in the arm. She fell over and felt a horrible pain growing in her stomach; she nearly passed out, but barely managed to jab herself with her own antidote.

Police cruisers began pulling up, but the officers couldn't run into the clock tower without risking themselves. Instead, they ran along cover to take the hostages from her and to safety. She waited for a gap in the shooting and once more made for the trapped victims. She continued to ferry them, carefully timing the shots. However, on the last mammal, he caught a third pellet in her neck. At this point, the pain in her abdomen was excruciating.

Despite having two vials of antidote flowing through her veins, she only felt more dizzy, and doubled over. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rufus run up to her, before dragging her to cover. Her consciousness slowly faded, and the world went black.

* * *

 **Siberia  
Three Days Later**

Kai trudged along the frozen tundra; the wind bit him in the face, while the snow made it impossible to see. He turned over his shoulder to see that his pilot had managed to land without crashing the jet. Regardless, he continued.

He stopped before a tall rock face, and sized it up and down. Satisfied, he walked along it until he came to a door.  
"Still here," he radioed.  
"Alright, want me to come with?" his pilot responded.  
"Nah, I'm not too hopeful about this one."  
Kai threw the vault-like door open, and entered. The inside was pitch black, and even he had a hard time seeing. The extreme cold provided nearly no infrared light for his eyes to catch, but also indicated that the heating had long-since died. Regardless, he turned on his flashlight and continued down.

The stairs weren't nearly as extensive as his own bunker; he knew for a long time that other shelters had nowhere near as much funding. Eventually, he reached the bottom. There was still no light, and although the temperature had dropped by another ten degrees, it felt warmer, as the howling winds could not reach that deep.

He searched the depths of the complex; the first room he entered appeared to be the original food store, although it had been picked clean. The next few rooms were nearly barren, and he guessed that they were once bedrooms, evidenced by four scuff marks where a bed would have been. He continued along the narrow corridor, checking every room, but still found nothing.

At the end of the hall, he entered a large room. In the center, he found an enormous pile of ash, along with several unburned articles of clothing and a few intact beds. Surrounding the pile, huddled and leaning on each other, were twenty somewhat rotten corpses. He inspected them; flat faces, thirty-two teeth in most of them. Humans. Among them, two children; one of them was firmly clutching a rather torn teddy bear. He shook his head in sadness, before sitting down. Given the extreme cold and their very minimal decay, he estimated that he was six hundred years too late.

He slammed his fist into the ground, shattering a ceramic tile. Despite the fact that there was nothing that could be done, he felt a sense of shame and disgrace. Their predicament indirectly stemmed from his actions, and he felt responsible for their downfall as well. He arranged them in a single row and draped the last of the unburned sheets over them, giving a moment of silence as he looked to the ground.

Eventually, he began scouring the bunker for anything. He perused the last scraps in several nearly empty rooms before finding a console. It was unpowered, but a small module lay atop the keyboard, along with a written note:  
 _This is the logbook for the past thousand some-odd years. I already know that we aren't going to make it, but I can't have the others lose hope. I suppose we'll burn the furniture to cook the last of our rations. Perhaps I should have left when that visitor offered, but it's to late for that, now. There's not enough food, either way. As for the log, I couldn't export it without encrypting it, so I left the cipher on the backside of this note._  
Kai thought it was suspicious that the bunker would have visitors, but nonetheless pocketed the module, continuing his search. Finding nothing else of value, he returned to the surface and called his pilot.  
"Not this one either, although I did find a logbook."  
"What's it say?"  
"It's encrypted, I'll have to decode it back home. Could be promising, though. Mentions visitors."  
"Alright. How many more places do you want to check?"  
"There are still forty or so bunkers left."  
"Alright, you know where the jet is."  
He hung up and returned to the plane. The rear door opened to reveal a young tiger in a flight suit.  
"Ready, sir?"  
"No, I want to sit in this frozen wasteland for a few more hours," he responded sarcastically.  
"You do realize I'm only here because I want to be."  
Kai sighed, entering and closing the door.  
"Forgive me. We've already checked out around eighty percent of the places that humans could be, and so far, absolutely nothing."  
"Lighten up. I'm sure if you made it, at least a hundred more could have."  
" _Could have_ is the key word. Let's go touch down in Mongolia."  
"Right away."

The multimillion dollar VTOL jet and its pilot were a gift from Arcturus; once Kai announced his 'business trip' to find if any more humans survived, the entire Court stumbled over itself to assist him. Granted, finding more humans was a very long shot, but if there was a chance, he had to take it. He knew where the bunkers were, but not whether any of their inhabitants had made it. Although he wanted to take Leora with him, the regions were much too remote and barren, often dragging through the freezing wastelands of the North.

Kai looked out the window, and saw the spotted lakes of Northeastern Russia. As most things, the spots reminded him of Leora; he hadn't seen her in nearly a month. It took a lot of convincing for her to stay behind. More deception than convincing, as he practically left without her while Sirius had her distracted. She called every night save for the last three, but he felt she still hadn't forgiven him for his trickery. He found it strange that she stopped calling so suddenly; something was off.

He pulled his phone out and dialed her. It rang six times before going to her voicemail. He dialed again; this time, it was answered after four rings, by a male with a scratchy voice.  
"Sorry, the patient isn't with their phone."  
"Patient?" Kai inquired. "What happened?"  
"I can't say, I only work in deposition. You know, you're lucky I was passing by, usually this stuff is—"  
"What hospital?"  
"Zootopia University Hospital."  
Kai hung up without another word, dialing Sirius instead.  
"Yeah?" Sirius spoke.  
"How is my favorite wolf?"  
"Favorite? Really?"  
"Yeah, it might not stay that way unless you tell me why Leora's in the hospital."  
Sirius was quiet for a very long time.  
"The Court asked me not to tell you."  
"And you listened to them?"  
"Look, we have a big problem. There's a serial killer, calls herself the 'Night Howler Killer'."  
"Herself?"  
"She's a doe. Is that bad?"  
"Nearly all serial killers are male. It's highly unusual."  
"Well, Leora and this shooter just so happened to be in the same place at the same time."  
"If Leora's cut up, I don't even know what I'll do."  
"No, nothing like that; no, this killer uses a pellet rifle. Very concentrated Night Howler toxin."  
"How concentrated?"  
"Well, a hundred and seventy are dead, if it's any indication."  
"You managed to dodge the question."  
"Alright, it makes mammals drop. They bite if anyone comes close, but other than that, they can't move."  
"And the treatment?"  
"Other than the regular anti-toxin, none."  
"And Leora—"  
"I don't know. All I know is that she was hit while trying to evacuate the area."  
"God forbid she suffered permanent damage."  
"I hope not. Listen, I need to go, we still have to catch this killer."  
"You mean the Court didn't hire her to begin with?"  
"No."  
"I guess I'll have to sort this mess out."  
"You're… coming back?"  
"Yes. Oh, and one last request?"  
"I'm listening."  
"Don't tell anyone that I'm on my way."  
"I—"  
Kai hung up again, before walking to his pilot.  
"Change of plans," he spoke. "Take us back to Zootopia."  
"Sir?"  
"Pressing matters call my attention."  
"Only if you say so. ETA four and a half hours."  
"This is a supersonic jet, easily mach three."  
"There are laws governing air speed."  
"If the standard avoidance procedure on this jet is to speed up and outrun the missiles, I'm sure no one can stop us. Be there in two hours."  
"… Yes, sir."

* * *

 **Zootopia  
University Hospital  
Three Hours Later**

Kai entered the room given to him by the front desk; inside, he found Rufus sitting in a chair by Leora's bed. His arms were bandaged, but aside from a few pads of gauze, he seemed alright. She was asleep, and had dozens of tubes and wires connected to her.  
"Rufus, what a pleasant surprise."  
"Ah, if it isn't our mutual friend. You look different."  
"I change the disguise regularly. What are you doing here?"  
"I haven't spoken to her since she went out," Rufus responded, eyeing him suspiciously. "Where have you been?"  
"She must have told you. Traveling the most barren corners of creation."  
"What?"  
"Looking for more of my kind. How is she?" He pointed to Leora.  
"Alive, barely. She's a hero."  
"She always was one."  
"No, you misunderstand me. Pellets sailing through the air, sand stained blue, and yet she still runs back and forth to evacuate civilians. Took three shots before she was downed." Rufus produced a smirk and a sad chuckle. "Granted, she had two shots of the anti-toxin, but still. You know, she took a sizable chunk out of my arms when I tried to drag her away."  
"What's the outlook?"  
The wolf stared at him momentarily before closing his eyes and shaking his head.  
"They say she needs a new liver, and even I know that leopard livers are far and few."  
"You should go home. There's not much you can do for her."  
"I have a few words that I want to say to her."  
"And you can say them tomorrow, when she's all better. Do me a favor and fetch a doctor on your way out."  
"You're not gonna… Prance her, are you?"  
"No, nothing like that."  
Rufus stood slowly and left. Several minutes later, a leopard in a white uniform stepped in.  
"Hello, I'm Doctor Hu. You asked to speak with me?"  
"What's the prognosis?"  
"We put her on the transplant list, but it's a long list."  
"How long can she go without one?"  
"Well, liver dialysis can keep her alive for several months while she waits."  
"You don't have to lie to me."  
"I… A week, perhaps."  
Kai scoffed.  
"Some anti-toxin."  
"It only enables the liver to clear out the Night Howlers, it doesn't do much on its own. Seeing how her liver is shutting down…"  
"How long is the transplant list?"  
"Three hundred, give or take, but she's at the bottom, and there are practically no feline livers to go around."  
"Would another liver do?"  
"That's—no, they're practically incompatible."  
"Tell me the specifics of a leopardess' liver."  
"Well, the liver clears out—"  
"I know what a liver is, tell me about hers. Input and output volumes per minute, what vessels lead to it, and so on."  
"I wouldn't have that information on paw, but most larger feline livers can process about a liter and a half per minute. The veins and arteries are pretty standard between most mammals. Why do you ask?"  
"How fast can you prep an operating room?"  
"What for?"  
"I can get her a liver."  
"Wolf livers are incompatible with—"  
"I know that. No, a proper liver. All you have to do is make sure that there's a supply of renal painkillers, like Rofecoxib."  
"Rofecoxib was pulled from the market years ago due to the risk of heart attack; you don't use drugs, do you?"  
"No; I can save her."  
"I can't consent to black market organs."  
"I'm sure you read medical journals. Let me know if this sounds familiar: antelope, twenty-three, hypothermia; spent an hour in a river in Tundratown, but he made a miraculous recovery; minor nerve damage in his leg, but otherwise alright?"  
The doctor began to snap his fingers.  
"In… Insa, was it?"  
"Prance Insa, yes. That was my doing."  
"What proof do I have of that?"  
"I can give every detail of the procedure, but I don't want to bore you. If you can get her into an operating room, I'll do the surgery myself."  
The doctor stared blankly at the floor, deep in thought.  
"You can take the credit as her attending," Kai offered.  
"It would be unethical for me to allow the surgery at all."  
"And I'm sure ethics are your biggest concern."  
"Are you insinuating something?"  
"How about this." Kai fished in his coat and threw a stack of bills onto the nearby table. "A hundred thousand in unmarked, non-sequential bills."  
"I should call the police."  
"But you won't. A hundred thousand is a lot of money, and the fame of performing the impossible transplant is far too much to pass up."  
The doctor deliberated.  
"Two hundred thousand."  
Kai withdrew another stack of bills and tossed them to the doctor.  
"I'm glad we could do business. Get that room prepped, I'll be back in twenty minutes."

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

Leora opened her eyes. She felt a horrible pain in her abdomen, as well as in her head.  
"How are you holding up?" she heard from behind her.  
"Not well," she muttered, clutching at her temples.  
"I have good news and bad news."  
"Can't be as bad as liver failure," she quipped.  
"The good news is that you won't be poisoned again."  
"I already knew that. Garrett, is that you?" She turned to face him. "Why didn't you say you were here?"  
"The bad news is also that you won't be poisoned again."  
"Cryptic as usual. Come on, give me a hug." She pulled him close. "Now, what did you mean by that?"  
"Nearly every medication, alcohol, narcotics, and most organic compounds are processed by the liver. You just got a new one. A very good one."  
"You donated?"  
"Yes and no. It's not my liver, but it's nearly identical. I should offer my congratulations, you're the first non-human mammal recipient of an artificial liver, ever."  
"Lucky me."  
"Anyways, I imagine you're in a lot of pain right now. I had them give you a medication called Rofecoxib because it's processed by the kidneys."  
"I assume I can't have any medications processed by the liver because of the transplant?"  
"No, they just won't work. Watch."  
Kai took one of two needles from the table and put it through her IV line. She felt a brief sense of lethargy which subsided after a couple of minutes.  
"What was that?"  
"Ten milligrams of sodium cyanide."  
"Why would you poison me?"  
"Just to prove a point. You're un-poisonable."  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
"Well…"  
He took the second needle and injected its contents as well. This one induced a sense of relief, which also quickly subsided.  
"And that one?"  
"Morphine."  
"The painkiller?"  
"Yep. That's why we have you on the other med, since anything that goes through your liver will do so very fast."  
"So alcohol…"  
"You'll win any drinking contest." He pondered for a moment. "Well, maybe not against me."  
She smiled, before leaning back.  
"Wanna lie down with me? I could go for some cuddling."  
"I'm not sure that bed can support the both of us."  
"I'm sure if these beds can carry obese elephants they can carry the both of us, too." She began pulling down on his arm. "Come on, they say cuddling is the best medicine."  
"I'm pretty sure it's laughter." He sat on the edge of the bed, before lying down alongside her a minute later.  
"Didn't break yet."  
"You're awfully cheerful for someone that just went through surgery with only mild painkillers."  
"My jaw hurts more than my abdomen."  
"Well, you did bite the hell out of Rufus' arms."  
"I thought that was a dream."  
"Nope; he was here, told me all about it. I had him leave so I could bribe the doctor to let me do the surgery."  
"What the cops don't know won't hurt them, eh?"  
"Something like that."  
She turned over and clung to him.  
"So, any news on the serial killer?"  
"Still at large."  
"Damn, I thought for sure we had her." She sighed, wincing. "What were you up to on your trip?"  
"I checked a lot of bunkers. Anything on the maps that I had."  
"I take it that you didn't find anything?"  
"A lot of bones, but I did get a logbook. It might be an interesting read, at the least."  
"What'll it tell you?"  
"Births, deaths, food stores, any possible visitors."  
"Visitors?"  
"The text on the note was a little strange in that regard. I'll have to decode the log if I want to learn any more."  
There was a peaceful silence as he stared at the ceiling fan.  
"I hope you didn't forget that Chief Bogo still owes me a month of paid vacation time."  
"I'll see if he can stretch it to three."  
"I doubt he'll give it, even to you."  
"I have been known to be very persuasive."  
She nuzzled up to him a little closer.  
"So, what are you planning?" she asked.  
"For starters, I promised to take you to Tokyo. After that, I guess we'll see."  
"I really enjoyed the mountains."  
"You weren't cold?"  
"Freezing, but now that you made me a good pair of winter boots, I think I'll be a little better."  
"I'll start planning a route."  
"Oh, and if there are any more hideouts along the way, could we stop by?"  
"I don't see why not. Why, though?"  
"I wanna be a part of history. I'm sure we'll find at least one survivor."  
"Except we can never tell, even if we do find anyone."  
"All that matters is that I know." She clutched at her abdomen, shifting uncomfortably. "Any chance you can get me a drip of morphine?"  
"I'll see what I can do."  
He stood and went to the door, but it was opened before he could reach the handle. He nearly ran into a doe, staring at a clipboard and muttering obscenities.  
"The _one patient_ I ordered not to have surgery, and…" The doe looked up. "Can I help you?"  
"Oh look, a doe. Leora this wouldn't happen to be—"  
"Can I _help_ you?" the doe reiterated, annoyed.  
"Patient requests a morphine drip."  
"Absolutely not. You're not a doctor, and she's suffering liver failure. Please leave before I call security."  
"Technically, you're not a medical doctor either."  
She pointed to her badge.  
"Well, I'll be damned," he continued. "They let the university regent practice medicine in her own hospital."  
"I have a medical degree. I'm calling security."  
"You know, it's almost nine. I'm pretty sure you have somewhere to be, Rigel."  
The blood slowly drained from her face.  
"I'm not headlights," he remarked. "You can stop staring."  
She shook her head.  
"No. Why are you here?"  
He held the door open.  
"Get a morphine drip, and come on in. Don't make any phone calls."  
"Or what?"  
"The good Leora is in pain; please, fetch the morphine. A thousand milligrams on an IV drip."  
"A thousand? What, is she an addict that doesn't need a liver?"  
"What do you think she was in surgery for?"  
"Leonard didn't say."  
"Artificial liver. Get her the morphine."  
Rigel rolled her eyes, but left. She returned with an IV bag and attached it to Leora's line.  
"Why are you here?" she asked.  
"She hasn't answered her phone for three days. I had to call Sirius for an explanation."  
"Any results from your trip?"  
"Only a lot of corpses. Of course, I still have a few places to check out. Maybe I'll grab Leora this time. I clearly can't trust you with her well-being."  
"Which reminds me, why didn't you let me come along the first time?" Leora inquired.  
"I know you hate hiking, the cold, and hiking in the cold. The average temperature was forty below. Hundred meter drops, snowstorms… I wanted to make sure you were safe."  
She shrugged.  
"What's life without living a little, right?"  
"I suppose there are only a couple more arctic bases. After that, it's mostly temperate."  
"You also still owe me a trip to Edo."  
"Alright. First, you have to get better, and I have to help these idiots get rid of their problem." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to Rigel. "Anyways, Rigel, have someone monitor her. Replace the morphine whenever it runs dry. Let's go have ourselves a meeting."  
"Actually," Leora muttered, sitting up. "Can I come along, too?"  
"No," Rigel scolded. "Bed rest."  
"Now now, she wants to come along," Kai began. "Liver failure was the only problem, right?"  
Rigel checked the chart.  
"Yes. Why?"  
"No unbroken bones that I need to worry about?"  
"We didn't check, but we highly doubt there would be any."  
"Great." He withdrew a red vial. "And I started to think that I packed this for no reason."  
"You were hiding that, and you hadn't used it yet? You just love ruining my day, don't you?" Rigel accused. "Now I have to deal with looking like an idiot in front everyone."  
"Hey, she didn't ask until now. Besides, you can take the credit; I don't care. Get us a car, and don't tell anyone; I enjoy fun surprises."

* * *

 **Court Lodge**

Kai walked up the hill, holding Leora's arm. She was given a cane until the pain improved, and was supporting the majority of her weight on it.  
"You really love a dramatic entrance, huh?" she asked, stopping to rest. He picked her up and carried her up the hill in his arms.  
"I would hardly call this dramatic."  
They reached the entrance; inside, Rigel was conversing with the concierge. They both paused to stare at him as he walked past, but otherwise didn't react. He threw open the second set of doors and entered the chambers.  
"Well, well, well!" he shouted, proudly marching down the steps.  
"Who are you?" someone inquired, getting in his way.  
"You can't be here," someone else insisted, stopping him.  
"Oh, calm yourselves, Aldebaran, Fomalhaut. I'm here on business." He carefully pushed them out of the way and proceeded to the stage. On the way down, he pulled a chair to the statue of Atlas, and sat Leora down. All eyes were on him. "Now, down to business. I understand you have a problem with a serial killer."  
He stood and began slowly walking circles around the stage.  
"When did this shooter first appear?"  
No answer.  
"Come on, I'm sure someone knows the answer."  
Still no answer.  
"Well, let's start with what we know. A doe with good sharpshooting skills takes down a hundred and seventy and can't get caught. Why?"  
"Who is this, why do we have to put up with him?!" someone shouted angrily.  
"No one spoil it," Kai spoke. "It makes it more fun for me that way. Sirius, my favorite wolf, care to give me my answers?"  
"Every time someone gets up to her sniping nest," Sirius piped up, chuckling, "They find a rifle on a mechanically controlled tripod."  
"So if you've confiscated six or seven rifles, and no one ever sees her, how do they know it's a doe?"  
"Someone saw her fleeing the scene of the shooting several minutes before any actual shooting started; exact same room and everything."  
"One sighting from an idiot and you think you know her identity?"  
"I was the one who sighted her," someone yelled from the crowd.  
"Exactly, an idiot. Now, has there been any pattern to the shootings?"  
"No," Sirius responded, cutting off the insulted, angry mammal. "None that we can see."  
"Get me a map of the city, and mark off every building that the killer shot from in order. If the buildings are conventionally numbered in any way, get me a list. Alphabetical, order of construction, the whole lot. I'll be in my room."  
He helped Leora up, and walked out.  
"So, that wasn't dramatic? Why not tell them who you are, I'm sure it'll expedite the process."  
"It's much, much more fun this way."  
He rounded the corner and went up the stairs.  
"You have a room here?"  
"Of course." He reached the second door, before swiftly picking the lock and tossing the door open. The inside of the room was overturned. "Ah, just like I left it."  
He laid her on the bed, before going about cleaning.  
"You left it like this?"  
"Technically, no. I'm fairly certain they searched it for anything they could find when Jack tried to kill me." Satisfied with the state of the room, he also jumped on the bed. "In any case, I reckon we have half an hour until I get what I asked for. How are you feeling?"  
"I'm fine, but what's the plan to nab the shooter?"  
"We'll just find the next location, and we'll wait for her to show up."  
"How can you possibly know that?"  
"Well, the rifle setup means she's either very knowledgeable, or that she has a big sponsor. There's a pattern, we just don't see it yet."  
"Sponsor?"  
"Something tells me that someone in the Court is lying about their position in the matter."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"No one is this successful at mass murder, spitting in the face of this many mammals that collectively own the city."  
"You did just fine."  
"I'm special."  
She rolled her eyes and pulled him down, hugging him tightly.  
"You said we had half an hour?"  
"You should still get some rest. That is, if you want to leave for Edo."  
"Oh, you."  
There was a knock on the door.  
"At least you guys knock," Kai shouted. "Who is it?"  
"Your 'favorite wolf' and guest," he heard from beyond the door.  
Kai opened the door and let Sirius and Grace in.  
"Here's the list and the map." Sirius handed the documents over. "Did you lose the eyepatch?"  
"No, it's just invisible."  
"Really?"  
"Of course not." Kai Looked over the map, and then the list. "An odd ordering."  
"What is?" Sirius asked, leaning in.  
"One of these lists has buildings by birth year of architect, and then by last name, and then first name."  
"Who the hell orders by that?"  
"Who gave you this list?"  
"Alioth, why?"  
"Keep an eye on him until I nab the killer; very suspicious." He took another look at documents. "She'll hit Rainbow Falls in Rainforest District."  
"How can you tell?"  
"The buildings she already hit, ordered by the aforementioned list, all point to a default Mersenne sequence. Modulo the number of buildings in the city, and skipping the purely residential sectors, the random seed is two thousand and ten."  
"How the fuck did you find that out?"  
"I'm trained to see patterns. Like a monkey. Or someone who's trained to see patterns. Either way, I know where she'll be next, so all I have to do is show up."  
"Do you know when?"  
"Well, presumably sometime in the future."  
"So you'll just sit and wait for however long it takes?"  
"Something like that, yeah, but you won't have the luxury of sitting still. Get me a list of every doe in the city, breeding age plus eight, with an annual income less than sixty thousand a year."  
"Why?"  
"A suspicion. We suspect she's a doe; two thousand and ten must be an important date, perhaps the birth of a child. Granted, I could be wrong, but this is the most likely pattern through the killing. Can you get me the list?"  
"Yeah, sure. Now, before you go running off to save the city again, do you think you could… You know…" He smiled and leaned his head forward, ever so slightly.  
"I'll one up that." Kai went rummaging through the desk. "Now, I thought I saw… Ah, here it is."  
He retrieved a nearly empty jar of peanut butter and threw it to Sirius.  
"What's this?"  
"A gift."  
"Yeah, but what is it?"  
"If you could read labels, you would know that it's peanut butter."  
"And?"  
"Authentic human peanut butter."  
Sirius eyed the jar crazily, threw the lid off, and began licking the delicious substance from the walls.  
"What happened to the rest of it?" Sirius inquired, between laps.  
"What do people usually do with food? Anyways, want me to get you another jar?"  
"I'd love one." He began licking the peanut butter off of the bottom. When he pulled away for a breath, Kai grabbed the end of the wolf's tongue and pulled down; Sirius struggled momentarily, before eventually giving up and sitting still.  
"Pace yourself, you're slobbering all over my floor." He paused momentarily, narrowing his brow. "Since when is your tongue this long?"  
"Why would it not be? I'm a normal wolf," he responded, nearly incomprehensibly.  
"Yeah, but when you ate jerky from my hand and licked it clean…"  
Grace and Leora slowly stared to Sirius, who produced an embarrassed grin, tongue still held out.  
"I must say," Kai continued, letting go of the wolf's tongue. "Grace is a lucky gal."  
Everyone laughed except for Sirius.  
"Why's that?" he inquired.  
They stared at him again.  
"Ask her sometime," Leora piped up, dragging Kai out. "You have your leads, wanna go?"  
"Hold the phone. You're staying right here."  
"Aw, come on! Why?"  
"You just had surgery not six hours ago. In any case, this is a job for a sniper."  
"You're getting Neal?"  
"Of course. Inform Regulus that I'll be borrowing him. Also, keep an eye on Alioth."  
"Who, and who?"  
"Sirius should be able to show you. Regulus is the black vixen, and I think Alioth was a rodent of some kind. A vole, maybe. Recently inducted, for sure."  
"So what do you want me to do?"  
"Make sure he doesn't disappear." Kai gave a half-hearted salute and nearly left, but stopped in his tracks. He withdrew a small PDA and gave it to Leora.  
"What's this?"  
"If the log gets decrypted before I get back, it might be good reading."

* * *

 **Tundratown  
9 AM**

Neal was drinking coffee and reading the paper when he heard a knock on the door. He stood, finished his coffee, and opened the door.  
"Neal, how do you do?" inquired the white wolf who stood there.  
"I'm sorry, I'm drawing a blank here."  
"It's Garrett; I changed the look again. I have a job for you."  
"A job, this should be good." Neal rubbed his paws together excitedly. "What kind?"  
Kai retrieved a silenced sniper rifle from under his coat and assembled it, handing it to the fox.  
"I need a sniper."  
"I…" Neal held the rifle carefully. "I haven't done this in months."  
"I thought you went back to do police work."  
"Mostly paperwork. They wouldn't even dream of letting me near one of these things."  
"Why not?"  
"They're suspicious I'll go crazy and shoot someone, or that I won't be able to make my shots after the coma I was in. The story changes every week."  
"You're the best sniper they've got, they can't afford to lose you."  
"Messiest writer, too. Not that it makes a difference. Statistically speaking, tigers make better cops in every regard."  
"Maybe after this, I'll put in a good word with Bogo."  
"Well, paperwork is easy, and I still get SWAT pay."  
"But you don't enjoy it, do you?"  
Neal didn't answer, instead walking back to the kitchen to pour himself more coffee.  
"Sometimes, it isn't about me. It's what the city needs."  
"You could hit an owl from five miles with a railgun, who else has that under their belt?"  
Neal smirked, staring at his coffee.  
"It wasn't an owl."  
"Your distance from dead center was no larger than one."  
"It was a lucky shot."  
"You humble yourself far too much. Your skill is the reason I'm asking. Were it not for you, I would have borrowed a military sniper instead."  
"Military? I'm sure SWAT has a few that would be up for the challenge." He paused for a minute. "What is this challenge, exactly?"  
"We, my friend, are going to catch a serial killer."  
"Bogo's already tried. I would know, I had to fill out the paperwork."  
"Bogo doesn't know that she'll strike in Rainforest District next."  
"How do you know?"  
"I analyzed the pattern of her shootings. I don't know when, but I know exactly where. Rainbow Falls Observatory Deck."  
"It hasn't had any public entry for almost a decade."  
"Are you up for it? There's a million bucks if you say yes."  
"A million?" He looked over the rifle again. "What's the chance that I'll get hurt?"  
"Basically none. Come on, if we're fast enough, we might catch her before she gets there."  
"Alright, give me a second to change. Hold this." He handed the rifle, before going into the other room.  
Kai waited in the doorway; very shortly after, Neal returned, wearing a shorts and a tee-shirt.  
"You're dressed for the part, but where are you going to keep the rifle?"  
"Oh, right. Can you hold on to it?"  
Kai rolled his eyes.  
"Let's go."  
He exited and the fox followed. They exited into the frigid air, with bearing for Rainforest District.  
"Aren't you cold?" Kai inquired.  
"Not particularly. Why?"  
"Only if you say so."

They took the train two stops over, before reaching a large lake at the base of a waterfall. At the top, a tower overlooked the surrounding scenery. A spray of mist and a rainbow obscured the base of the building. They walked around to the road leading up the observatory. There was a barricade, and a sign that read 'No Entry' blocking the path.  
"Now what?" Neal inquired.  
"We go in, of course." Kai lifted Neal over the barricade, and himself hopped over. Once they were out of sight, he gave the fox the rifle and an earpiece. "Now, pick a vantage point. I doubt you'll need to shoot, but there's always a chance."  
"What's the plan?"  
"I'll wait for her to show up. Have a little chat. If she tries to leave before I give the okay, take the shot."  
"You do realize this is a real rifle, right?"  
"Yes, and this doe has killed over a hundred and eighty. Man up."  
"I take it that means 'just do it'?"  
"Yep. Go on, find your hiding place."  
The fox began scaling the wall adjacent, before disappearing into the foliage.  
"Mic check," he radioed.  
"Heard," Kai responded.  
"Roger."  
Kai entered the observatory and climbed the stairs to the top floor. He reached a table near the balcony, and pulled a box of blueberries from his pack, setting them down. He kicked his legs up onto the table, leaned back, and waited.

Nearly three hours later, just past noon, his radio buzzed to life.  
"Doe on approach, appears middle-aged, carrying several bags."  
"That's her. Let her come up."  
Kai withdrew his phone and placed a phone call.  
"Sirius, I need you to relay to the rest of the Court that I have the shooter. She is under my custody. Have everyone else call off their efforts."  
"Are you gonna kill her?" Sirius responded.  
"No, we'll just talk. I'll even let her go."  
"Sounds like a plan. I'll tell everyone else, then."  
He hung up and waited. Another ten minutes passed before the stairwell door opened. The doe made it several steps in, set the bags on a table, and began unpacking, paying him no mind. She withdrew a pellet rifle and loaded it, before finally looking up. She panicked and shot at him, falling on the floor.  
"Well, that was rude," he spoke, wiping the blue stain from his neck.  
"How are you not…"  
"I'm immune. However, your little stunt clears any suspicions as to your identity."  
She immediately scrambled for the door.  
"Neal, shoot the door," Kai radioed. Not a moment later, the center of the door splintered. The doe screamed and fell back to the floor. "Now, I have no interest in killing you. I merely want to talk. Come, sit. I brought blueberries."  
She looked up to see him tossing a berry in his mouth. She stood and slowly walked, eyeing him, before taking a seat at the table.  
"Let's see… How about we start with introductions? I am Kai."  
The doe was reluctant to answer.  
"I already know your name, I was just being polite. What would you like to be called?"  
"Ida is fine."  
"Alright, Ida. You're thirty-five years old, sixty thousand bucks a year as a nurse… but you still do this. It's obvious from your reaction when you saw me that you aren't mentally ill, so I'd guess that someone is paying you. Perhaps you needed the money to take care of your fawn. Eight years old, was it?"  
"You don't know me."  
"I wasn't wrong, was I? Someone is paying you to do this. Who?"  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
"Tell me."  
"And if I don't?" She eyed the balcony.  
"You could jump the balcony, but you'd splatter on the rocks below. That's a rough fall, even I might have a hard time landing it. You could make for the door, but my sniper will put a hole through you before you made it halfway." He stood and began pacing around her. "Besides, I have an incentive for you."  
He pulled two vials from his pack and set them on the table.  
"And these are?"  
"According to the medical charts, your fawn has late-stage lung cancer. Inoperable. Thankfully, I already made one of these for lung cancer. The only difference is that it was for a raccoon."  
"You're rambling. Get to the point."  
"You're a nurse, Ida. You can appreciate that this is a virus, designed specifically to target lung cancer. It will eat away at the cancerous cells, leaving the healthy ones. In principle, that is. I'm no bio-molecular geneticist, so it won't stop on its own. That's what the second vial is for."  
"So you mean—"  
"This is a cure for your son. A couple rounds of chemo, maybe some radiation, and he'll be healthy as a horse." Ida reached for it, and he pulled the vials out of her reach. "It can be all yours, if you answer my questions."  
"How do I know you're not lying?"  
"For starters, I never lie. Second, I'm not calling the police."  
"Who are you?"  
"Call me a private investigator, if you will. Now, who is paying you?"  
"Sam L. Warmer."  
"The proprietor of ZNN?"  
"That's the one. He never told me why, but I suspected he just wanted the money that the news stories would generate."  
"Where and when did you make the agreement?"  
"He had his son visit me in my fawn's hospital room. He invited me in to speak with his father regarding an offer I couldn't refuse. When I showed up, his secretary told me that he had to cancel, but his son offered to talk in his stead."  
"Have you ever talked with him?"  
"No, never face to face. Only over phone. I guess he was just covering his ass."  
"I see. What were the terms of this agreement?"  
"He would provide equipment and the location, and I would set it up."  
"So that's why he always miraculously has cameras pointing in the right direction."  
"Speaking of which, how did you know I would come here, if you didn't know Mr. Warmer? He assured me that these sites were random, absolutely untraceable."  
"Pseudorandom. It's called a Mersenne Twister. Nigh untraceable, but I know how to calculate the sequence." Kai sat back down and ate another blueberry. "Help yourself, by the way."  
Ida ate a couple, but sat still.  
"So, you remotely controlled the rifle. How did you pick targets?"  
"I didn't control it at all, someone else did."  
"Who?"  
"I'd assume he did."  
Kai closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.  
"Very well, you're free to go." He tossed her the vials. "They're labeled. Administer vial two an hour and a half after vial one. Monitor him."

She nodded, smiling, before heading for the exit. Just as she grabbed at the handle, a gunshot rang through the trees; the bullet tore through her back, and she collapsed.  
"Neal!" Kai shouted through the intercom.  
"That wasn't me! You gave me a silenced rifle!"  
"There's another sniper. Find him." He quickly ran and pulled the doe into cover, before putting his mask on, and running back to the balcony. He scanned the ridge, before turning to look down at the crowd at the bottom of the falls. Nearly everyone was running around in panic from the gunshot, save for one, that was walking away, continuously checking over his shoulder. "There! The one who walks away slowly, the cougar in the trench coat."  
"I… I can't make that shot!" Neal radioed back. "Too many bystanders."  
"You've made harder!"  
"Not this time. I'm sorry."  
Kai withdrew and assembled his railgun, looking down the sights. As soon as the cougar saw that he was being aimed at, he took off running. Kai pulled the trigger. The projectile struck the feline through his left knee, taking off his leg.  
"Neal, go down and secure him. I'll be right there."  
He returned to Ida, who was gasping for air.  
"I can't die," she muttered. "My son."  
"Ida, look at me. You won't die," he responded, packing the wound. Two shots of painkillers later, and he was able to pick her up without protest. "You're only halfway through your life."  
"Why?" she asked.  
"Why what?"  
"Why are you so kind to me? Even after what I've done?"  
"Because you love your son. You would do anything for him."  
"So?"  
"I know the feeling."  
"You do?"  
"I flew here from halfway across the world to save my friend from liver failure. One of your victims."  
"All the more reason for you to leave me here."  
"You're not a martyr, stop acting like one. And stop talking."  
She promptly complied.

By the time they made it to the road leading out of the observatory, Neal radioed back.  
"Sir, how many shots did you fire?"  
"Only one. Why?"  
"He's got two holes in his chest, and one through his head."  
"Damnit, there was another."  
"Another what?"  
"No matter. Where are you?"  
"Still in the forest."  
"Flee. The last thing I need is for you to be framed. Leave the rifle on the observatory's driveway. I'll meet up with you later, you'll have your million then."  
"Got it."  
The radio cut out.  
"A million? I didn't think I was worth that much. Where are you taking me?" Ida inquired weakly.  
"The hospital."  
"They'll suspect something."  
"Why?"  
"A shooting near the observatory, equipment at the top for a shooting, and a doe getting checked into the hospital."  
"You have hooves, it's not like you can leave prints."  
"I'm sure we both left fur up there."  
"I'll pull strings. Nothing will happen to you."  
"But someone tried to kill me. How do you know they won't do it again?"  
"You have my word that you will be safe." He chuckled. "Granted, I can't make that promise to a certain vole."  
"You know Warmer?"  
"I'm his boss." He picked the discarded rifle up, disassembled it, and stowed it in his pack. "Now, you have a fawn to cure. Let's get you patched up so you can see to it."  
Although he couldn't see it, she smiled.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
9 PM**

Kai was sitting in a chair before the statue of Atlas, when he motioned for Arcturus to start the meeting. After a few words from the grizzly, he stood to speak.  
"Atria, Rigel, Alioth, and their proteges. Step forward."  
The ewe, doe, and two voles came forward.  
"Proteges?" he inquired of the former two.  
"You know we don't have any yet," Rigel responded bitterly.  
"Very well. I suppose I should start off by stating that I spoke with the killer in question. A doe named Ida; rather charming girl, but I digress. Of course, there was an assassination attempt and a cover up, which means that not only did someone here lie, they also ignored my command to cease the search."  
"And you think one of us did this?" Rigel asked, amused.  
"Alioth," Kai continued, ignoring the deer. "I asked for a list of every building in the city. How did you produce your list?"  
"I had a committee, I'm not sure who came up with it."  
"I see. Who was on this committee?"  
"I called two mammals in charge of records at City Hall and the Architect's Union, respectively. I also had my chief editor, and my son."  
"My money is on you being responsible. That's exactly the list used for the killer's itinerary. Given its unusual nature, it can't be an accident that you also came up with the list."  
"No, you're wrong!" Alioth retorted, taking a step back and raising his paws in surrender.  
"Father, how could you?" his protege muttered, shaking his head. "I expected better of you."  
"As did I. Your parenting skills must be awful."  
"Yeah, your—what?" his son responded, looking to Kai.  
"Alioth, do me a favor and take three steps to the right."  
The vole did so.  
"You must believe me, I'm not responsible!" he cried out.  
"The evidence says otherwise."  
Alioth looked first to Rigel, then to the audience, then to his son, before finally looking back to Kai. He lowered his head in defeat.  
"Do what you will, then. Just don't hurt my son."  
Kai chuckled, cracking his knuckles.  
"I would make that promise, but I can see your son smiling."  
"What? He's wearing a mask, how can you—"  
"It doesn't shield infrared." Kai raised his foot and crushed Alioth's son, grinding his boot slightly, before walking back to his chair. "I had my suspicions, but that proved it. Your son tried to frame you."  
Alioth fell to his knees by the red stain on the stage, running his paws along it.  
"No, that can't… That can't be," he muttered, falling silent.  
"You just killed a member of the Court!" someone from the crowd shouted.  
"It goes without saying that killing any member of the Court is wrong. I will not tolerate such acts of violence. However, I tolerate deceit even less. Yes, I killed him, and I'll do it again in a heartbeat if anyone here pulls the same stunt."  
"I thought everyone here was equal, and yet Arcturus runs the show, six others are high and mighty, and you boss them around!"  
Voices of agreement rang out. When they died down, Kai spoke again.  
"I forgot maybe half the Court is new. Regardless, that is faulty thinking. You are not equal, least of all to me. Anyone who thinks that we are is welcome to take it up with me."  
A buffalo stood and walked to the stage, throwing off his robe and mask.  
"Are you a fool?" Arcturus shouted at the buffalo, getting between them. "You have no chance of beating him."  
"I'm a black belt in kick boxing. He has nothing on me."  
"Legend says," Sirius began, also walking to the stage, making slow circles around them, narrating to the audience. "Legend says that this wolf: Procyon, my protege, was only ever beaten once. The mammal that beat him was Arcturus, but it wasn't even a victory for him."  
"He was unarmed, weighed down by ballistic plates, encumbered by his robe and mask, and still nearly beat me," Arcturus affirmed. "He wasn't even fighting to kill, his primary goal was shielding his identity."  
"Identity?" the buffalo asked.  
"None of your concern," Kai intervened.  
"Legend says he also tore a rhino's heart, still beating, from his chest," Sirius continued.  
"And I can attest to that," Arcturus continued.  
"You must be very new to the Court," Kai mocked. "I should hope that you would like to stay longer than the month you may have been here."  
The buffalo pushed Arcturus out of the way and swung his clenched fist, before being immediately stopped by Kai's arm plunging through his chest.  
"Three major vessels connect your heart to the rest of your body," he spoke. "All it takes are a few cuts, but…" Kai withdrew his hand, pushing the buffalo over. "You're not even worth those three cuts. Rigel, Atria, I trust you can stop the bleeding."  
"That can't be why you called us up!" Rigel shouted, quickly putting pressure on the buffalo's chest.  
"No, it was primarily because I enjoy seeing your bright smile from so close. That, and to avoid Alioth's protege getting suspicious." He turned and walked up the steps. "Sirius, come with me. As for the rest of you, I think it would be wise you didn't inform the newcomers who I really am."

He walked side by side through the halls of the lodge with the wolf.  
"You know, you were pretty scary back there," Sirius piped up.  
"I should hope so. I am jocund because I choose to be. I can be a real heartless bastard to anyone who gets in my way."  
"What if I get in your way?"  
Kai sighed.  
"I wouldn't hurt you. Not after all we've been through."  
"What, then?"  
"I might toss you around a little," he quipped, ruffling the fur on Sirius' head.  
"So why do you need me right now?"  
"I enjoy your company."  
"So you pulled me out of the meeting for no reason?"  
"Those meetings are boring, anyways. Besides, with one dead and one about to be, I don't think there will be much of a meeting tonight."  
They walked in silence for a while.  
"By the way," Sirius began. "Back there, when you said none of us were equal…"  
"You should know by now that you, Arcturus, Regulus, Achernar, and a handful of others are with me in the penthouse of the hierarchy. Everyone else is down on ground level, or somewhere between."  
"So it wasn't just some human view of superiority over mammals?"  
"You're overly dramatic sometimes, you know that?"  
They arrived at his room, where they found Leora lying on the bed, staring at a screen.  
"Problem's solved, Leora," Kai quipped. She didn't respond. "Leora?"  
"Hmm?" she muttered, not looking away.  
"Anything good?"  
"Surprisingly, yeah. The author of the log writes: 'Jul 6, Year 4150: A strange visitor arrived at the door. Entirely shrouded. We invited him in, since no one had ever seen a visitor in their lives. Previous log entries indicate visitors in the twenty-sixth century, but this is a first in the last dozen lifetimes. We offered food, which he accepted. When he removed his hood to eat, he had the face of a wolf! He gave his name as Jin-Roh, and told us that he could take us to a warmer land. A land with working farms. A land once called 'The Crescent of Niagara', whatever it means. The real kicker is that he told us that he offered the same thing to our ancestors, sixteen centuries ago. We inquired about his age, and he told us he was immortal. When we asked why he came back, he told us that our power supply was only designed to last one thousand five hundred years, and that we were four hundred years over budget. We voted forty to seven to stay put. However, two volunteered to go. Ivan and Svetlana each took a week of food, and left with him.'"  
Kai took a seat in a chair, closed his eyes, and leaned on his clenched fist, deep in thought.  
"What is it?" Sirius asked.  
"Jin-Roh was one of the four generals that I had any respect for. Even more so because he refused augmentation. He initially grew up poor and couldn't afford them, but even when he became general he refused on principle. He was a regular human; although I spared him and sent him to his family, even if he survived the bombs, he couldn't have lived past a hundred and fifty."  
"So that means whoever checked in with them was pretending to be him?"  
"Either he came back from the dead and got a disguise projector from thin air, or an immortal with a knack for humor got their hands on a disguise projector."  
"It couldn't have been an actual wolf who knew what to say?"  
"Who would have told him what to say? Leora, could you check the log for any previous visitors?"  
"I already did," she responded. "No 'Jin-Roh'."  
"Who was there?"  
"Let's see..." She tapped the screen several times. "Only two."  
There was a pause in the conversation.  
"Are you waiting for it to load, or is this for dramatic tension?" Kai inquired.  
"One George MacClintholm, and... Vitya."  
Kai shot up and looked at the screen in disbelief, before making haste to the closet and getting dressed.  
"Wait, what about our trip?" Leora inquired, nearly whining.  
He threw her a coat.  
"We'll take a detour. Sirius, what's the fastest you can get us three hundred miles north-west?"  
"Where, exactly?" the wolf inquired.  
"Giant waterfalls, three of them. Although, I guess it could be one or two if they eroded enough."  
"Oh, you mean Onyara Falls?"  
"Is that what you call it?" Kai retorted with an air of annoyance in his voice. "Fine. How fast can you get us there?"  
"I'm sure I could convince Arcturus to get you a flight there in a couple of hours."  
"Do it." He dragged Leora by the arm. "We need to pack."  
She was laughing the entire way down the halls. She was finally going on a real adventure.

* * *

 **A/N: First chapter of the sequel. Hopefully the kick-off is entertaining. I guess you could call it a prologue; it would probably make more sense split into two or three parts, but I figured it would be easier to read if it was only one chapter. I'm not good at naming them anyways, so I figure one chapter is easier to name than more.**

 **I'll attach this at the end of the first fic, but I'll call it something like 'Book 2: Chapter I' so it's distinct. Maybe I'll ditch the roman numerals? Or maybe I can just call it 'Book 2: Chapter 51'? Two colons is iffy, so even though it is tempting to call it something cheesy like 'New Beginnings', I might just ditch chapter names. I'm not entirely sure. At least it's not a Star Wars game, with 4 colons and subtitles.**

 **Let me know if any of you have any preference, I can always change chapter titles after I post them. For now I'll just stick with 'Book 2: Chapter 1'.**

 **My classes started up again, any my schedule is pretty terrible; I go from 9 to 9 on Mondays, but at least I have a day off. I've personally read through the entire chapter several times, and Jackofallfables and dieselford93 also gave it a read (thanks again for that), and I think I've gotten rid of all of the typos, but I'm not sure. Let me know if you find anything.**

 **I've decided not to do fun facts, since even when other people send them to me, I still end up putting repeats. However, I suppose a mini fun-fact could be that Alioth's name, Sam L. Warmer, is a reference to Sam Warner of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.**


End file.
